False Resignation Report of Prof Yunus Debunked
The Press Institute of Bangladesh’s fact-checking and media research wing, BanglaFact, has investigated and debunked the recent rumor surrounding the alleged resignation of Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus from his post as Chief Adviser of the interim government. Alongside, the team also identified a fabricated press release bearing the armed forces' logo.
According to BanglaFact, the rumour began circulating on Facebook on Thursday afternoon, originating from a satirical Facebook page named The Delhi Star. A link was shared from this page titled "Prof Yunus resigns", resembling a report supposedly published by mainstream media outlet The Daily Star. However, upon investigation, BanglaFact confirmed that the referenced report was not recent. It was, in fact, a legitimate article published on May 13, 2011, by The Daily Star, detailing Dr. Yunus’s resignation as Managing Director of Grameen Bank at that time.
The old article link, shared by The Delhi Star, misled many netizens who mistook the satirical page for the official news outlet. Without verifying the source, users began sharing the link, believing it to be a fresh update stating that Dr. Yunus had resigned from his current role in the interim government—thereby fueling the misinformation.
BanglaFact further revealed that The Delhi Star Facebook page currently has 72,000 followers. Transparency records show that the page was launched on September 12, 2024, after the interim government assumed office. It has not undergone any name change since its inception and is managed by four administrators, all based in Bangladesh.
The team examined recent posts from the page and observed a consistent pattern of sarcasm-laced content on sensitive national issues. While presented humorously, many of these posts are later misinterpreted and circulated as genuine claims. BanglaFact also noted that the page mimics The Daily Star's name and visual identity, frequently posting photo cards with similar designs, which often mislead social media users.
In a related case, a fake press release titled “Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force Military and Junior Officers” has been circulating on social media. BanglaFact confirmed that the statement was fabricated and not released by any credible news outlet or official source. Instead, it was spread by known purveyors of misinformation. Typically, such press statements are formally distributed to media houses, but this one bypassed all standard procedures.
Additionally, BanglaFact identified several inconsistencies in the fake release. Although the body of the statement was in Bangla, the title and date were in English. The release also contained multiple spelling errors.
Regarding the fake release, Director of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ul Doulah Chowdhury, stated to BanglaFact: “This press release is fake and the logo used is not that of ISPR.”
