Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Claim
Protesters lie on Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s bed, while others enjoy themselves in the PM’s private swimming pool after they stormed the official residence in Dhaka, following weeks of anti-government demonstrations.
Fact
Viral visuals date back to July 2022, when protesters stormed the then Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house in Colombo.
Protesters on Monday stormed the official residence of Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled to India, following weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations and a day after clashes between police and agitators left at least 90 people dead.
Among the dramatic visuals of people ransacking the Dhaka residence, “Ganabhaban”, on social media, a photo claimed to show the protesters lying on the PM’s bed and a video purportedly showing the demonstrators enjoying themselves in the PM’s private swimming pool have gone viral.
The archived versions of the tweets can be seen here and here.
Fact Check
Claim 1
Newschecker ran a reverse image search, which led us to multiple media reports from July 2022, sharing the same photo, seen here, here and here, stating that it is from when protesters ransacked the then Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house in Colombo, virtually turning the premises into a new picnic spot with people strolling through the balconies, relaxing in bedrooms, working out at the gym, dining in the kitchen and taking a dip in the swimming pool.
Sri Lankans in July 2022 had occupied key government buildings and residences following an uprising over the government’s handling of the economic crisis that forced the President to flee the country and eventually resign.
“Demonstrators sleep on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s bed at the President’s house, on the following day after demonstrators entered the building in Colombo, Sri Lanka,” read the caption of the photo in the July 10, 2022 HT report, attributing it to Reuters, which confirms that the viral photo is not from the 2024 protests in Bangladesh.
Claim 2
Newschecker noticed that the viral video seemed to be a BBC report, where the text at the beginning of the clip read, “Sri Lanka crisis: Protesters storm President Rajapaksa’s residence”, indicating that the video is likely from the same July 2022 protests.
Taking a cue from this, a further search led us to the BBC report on Youtube, dated July 9, 2022, stating thousands of protesters have charged into the residence of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo. The viral excerpt can be seen from the 00:19 mark. Similar reports can be seen here, here and here, confirming that the viral video is not related to the 2024 Bangladesh crisis.
Also Read: AI-Generated Image Of Mother And Child Viral As Real Photo From Wayanad Landslides
Conclusion
Visuals of Sri Lankan demonstrators lying on the bed and taking a dip in the swimming after storming the presidential palace in Colombo in July 2022 falsely claimed as from the 2024 Bangladesh protests.
Result: False
Sources
BBC report, Youtube, July 9, 2022
HT report, July 10, 2022
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
