18 BSF killed in Bangladesh clash? A closer look at the fake news

Recently, tensions flared along the Bangladesh-India border, particularly in the Shibganj area of Chapainawabganj. 

The trouble started when the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) began building a barbed-wire fence along their side of the border, near Sukdebpur.

Following this, the BSF also attempted to extend the fence to other areas, including Kurigram and Naogaon. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) raised their objections, claiming that the BSF was building the fence at five different points.

As a result, the BSF halted construction on January 11 after facing protests from Bangladesh.

During this period, the BGB increased their patrols along the border, with local people joining in to help keep watch. 

On January 14, Bangladesh‍‍`s Home Affairs Adviser, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, confirmed that things were now calm at the border and that the situation was back to normal.

However, a photo card started circulating on Facebook, claiming: “Clash at the Border: 1 Bangladeshi Injured, 18 Indians Killed.” 

The post falsely stated that 18 BSF members were killed in a border clash. 

The post went viral, and many others shared the same claim, stating that these were BSF personnel who had died.

After investigating, the fact-checking team from Rumor Scanner found that the claim of 18 BSF personnel being killed was completely false. 

There was no reliable evidence supporting the story, and the claim was spread without any proper source or confirmation.

Upon further checking, the photo card shared on social media showed no logos or names of any media organizations. 

Typically, when media outlets publish such photo cards, they include their logo or name. 

The absence of this information suggested that the photo card had not come from any legitimate news source.

Some posts referred to an article published on January 11 by a website named Dainik Nagar Barta. 

After reviewing the article, the team found that the photo card was included in the report with the caption “details in the comments.”

The article falsely claimed that there had been a “shocking” armed clash at the Bangladesh-India border. 

It said that a gunfight broke out between BSF and BGB personnel, resulting in the deaths of 18 BSF members and a serious injury to a Bangladeshi BGB member. 

The article claimed that BSF crossed into Bangladesh, and when the BGB objected, the situation escalated into a gunfight. 

According to the article, the BSF fired first, forcing the BGB to return fire, leading to significant casualties on the Indian side. 

The article also quoted Indian media claiming that their unarmed soldiers had been attacked by Bangladesh, but Bangladesh denied the accusations.

However, when Rumor Scanner dug deeper, they found no reliable information to support these claims.

Recent reports from Chapainawabganj and Lalmonirhat did mention two Bangladeshis getting injured in separate incidents involving BSF gunfire.

But there was no mention of a border clash or 18 BSF deaths. 

For example, a report from January 11 said that a young Bangladeshi man named Shahidul Islam, 22, was injured by BSF gunfire while trying to smuggle Phensidyl (a type of illegal drug) into Bangladesh. 

This incident happened near the Azmatpur border in Shibganj, and Shahidul was able to escape to Bangladesh after being shot.

Another incident occurred on January 13 in Lalmonirhat, where a man named Shahidul Islam, 42, was injured by BSF fire while trying to bring cattle from India into Bangladesh. 

The BSF fired several rounds, injuring him in the leg. His companions helped him escape and took him to a clinic in Rangpur for treatment.

None of these incidents mentioned any border clash or the deaths of 18 BSF personnel.

In conclusion, the story about 18 BSF personnel being killed in a border clash is completely false and baseless. 

It’s important to verify information before believing or sharing such claims.