"Assalamu Alaikum. If you want to save the Chattogram Hill Tracts, bring them under the law immediately. Because they are a group named UPDF. They are not allowing the Bangladesh Army or administration to enter the hill districts and are opening fire one after another. Therefore, please share this video and make sure it reaches the Government of Bangladesh."
A 20-second video carrying this urgent plea has been widely circulated on Facebook. The upper portion of the video shows several young men and women posing with weapons, followed by a scene displaying rows of firearms. The lower portion features a young man delivering the aforementioned speech.
At the time of writing this report, the video had amassed over 444,000 views, generated more than 17,000 reactions, and been shared over 14,000 times.
Upon conducting a fact-check to verify the authenticity of the claim, the exact same video featuring youths with weapons was found on a Facebook profile named "Rongjali Narzary." It had been published there on October 20. According to profile details, the user is a resident of Kokrajhar in Assam, India, and the profile contains several other similar videos.
This confirms that footage published by a content creator in Assam is being falsely propagated as recent events from Bangladesh's Chattogram Hill Tracts.
Recently, amidst a blockade program in Sajek under the Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, misinformation and propaganda against the indigenous population have been rampant on social media. Although multiple videos associated with the blockade prominently feature armed individuals, verification has revealed that these clips depict entirely different incidents from foreign countries.
The unrest follows a series of protests centered around a five-point demand, including the removal of members belonging to the Parbatya Chatt Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS-Santu Larma faction).
