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| - By: Vanita Ganesh
September 10 2024
The image, from 2019, shows former PM Sheikh Hasina having a meal after an award ceremony in Mirzapur, Bangladesh.
What is the claim?
Social media users have shared an image of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sitting at a table with food being served to her, claiming it was captured after she fled to India.
An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the image with the caption, "Our people are dying of hunger and Modi ji is feeding mutton kebabs to this <expletive> (translated from Hindi)." Multiple Facebook posts shared this image with a caption in Bangla which translates to: "For those who are worried, wondering what she is eating after leaving home, here's the latest for them Hasu Pagli is being treated well at her in-laws' house. Yogurt, luchi, sandesh, pitha – only Hilsa is missing!" Archived versions of these posts can be found here, here, and here.
Screenshots of the viral posts on social media. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)
Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 after anti-reservation protests evolved into anti-government violence, prompting a new government in the country. She has sought temporary asylum in India.
However, we found that the image is from 2019 and shows the former prime minister being served a meal in Bangladesh after an award ceremony for prominent Bangladeshi philanthropist Ranada Prasad Saha.
What we found
A reverse image search of the image led us to a Bangla news report by the Daily Ittefaq (archived here) published on March 15, 2019, which carried the now-viral image. The image was captioned in Bangla: "The Prime Minister ate a 31-course meal at Kumudini's family."
The report stated that Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, attended an event honoring Saha in Mirzapur, Bangladesh, on March 14, 2019. The Kumudini family, through Kumudini Welfare Trust, hosted the event. At the event, Hasina presented gold medals to notable recipients, including the late Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy and Kazi Nazrul Islam, as well as artist Sahabuddin and Professor Rafiqul Islam.
The report further states that the Kumudini family organized a 31-course Bengali meal for Sheikh Hasina after the award ceremony. We also found this 2019 Bangla news report (archived here) published on March 15 with the same image, titled: "Hasina is overwhelmed with hospitality, decorated in 31 steps in bronze vessels."
Further, a keyword search of the event details led us to the January-April 2019 edition (archived here) of the 'Kumudini Bulletin' uploaded to their website. This edition contains an image of Hasina and the woman in the blue saree, wearing the same attire.
Comparison of the viral image and the image from the Kumudini Bulletin, showing the same woman behind Sheikh Hasina in both images. (Source: Facebook/Kumudini Welfare Trust).
We also found images of Hasina wearing the same saree in news reports here and here about the March 14, 2019, ceremony in Mirzapur where she addressed the event, inaugurated 31 development projects and laid foundation stones on the 86th anniversary of Kumudini Welfare Trust. The evidence shows that the now-viral image is from 2019, and not related to the August upheaval of the Bangladesh government.
What is happening in Bangladesh?
Following the deaths of nearly 650 people in Bangladesh between July 16 and August 11 after anti-reservation unrest turned into broader anti-government demonstrations, Hasina resigned as prime minister on August 5, leading to the formation of an interim government under Muhammad Yunus on August 8. Hasina fled to India, as she and her associates face over 100 criminal cases, including murder, crimes against humanity, and more.
The verdict
Our research has shown that an image from 2019 has been used to falsely claim it shows former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina enjoying a lavish meal in India.
Logically Facts has been actively debunking misinformation around violence in Bangladesh. You can read our fact-checks here.
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