Hasina Hoax: Fact-Checkers Flag False Death Rumor
A viral image circulating on social media claiming the death of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has been proven entirely false. Both fact-checking organizations, Rumor Scanner and Fact Watch, confirmed that the claim is baseless and the materials shared on social media — including a fake condolence message and fabricated photo cards resembling official party posts — are deliberate misinformation.
According to Rumor Scanner, the photo that went viral was digitally manipulated. “The original image belongs to an entirely different source,” the report stated, adding that “through technological abuse and intentional editing, the photo was falsely attributed to Sheikh Hasina.” Authorities have also verified that the image and accompanying claims are “completely false and misleading.”
Investigations revealed that the viral photo was not of Sheikh Hasina but of an 82-year-old woman who reportedly passed away in a Delhi hospital after being forced to walk at the airport. Reverse image searches and metadata analysis confirmed that the picture had been altered to falsely depict Sheikh Hasina’s supposed death.
The Fact Watch report further noted that the viral “photo card,” mimicking the design of Jamuna TV graphics, claimed to have been posted on May 13, 2025. However, no such post was found on the verified Facebook page of Jamuna TV on that date. Reverse image searches traced the photo’s actual origin to a Firstpost article published on March 8, 2025, featuring the same elderly woman — not Sheikh Hasina — with her image later doctored to include Hasina’s face.
Additional verification by the Hindustan Times revealed that the woman in the photo was Raj Pasricha, the widow of an Indian army officer. According to the report, Pasricha had booked a wheelchair in advance for an Air India flight from Bengaluru but was denied assistance at the Delhi airport. The source of this information was a post on X (formerly Twitter) by her granddaughter, Parul Kanwar.
Fact Watch pointed out that the viral image began spreading before May 12, 2025 — the date when all activities of the Awami League were officially banned. Hence, it concluded that “the viral photo card is clearly fabricated.”
Mainstream media outlets have found no credible report or confirmation regarding Sheikh Hasina’s alleged death, reinforcing that the circulating claims are entirely false and manipulative.
