Fact Check: Viral Quote and Image About Adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman Are Fake
A quote card and image circulating on social media have falsely claimed that Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman said he was insulted at Delhi Airport after identifying himself, with an Indian police officer allegedly remarking, “Ye nashedi kaise updeshta ban gaya” (“How did this addict become an adviser?”).
Another widely shared image purportedly shows Indian immigration police escorting Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman by holding his arm.
However, fact-checking has confirmed that both the attributed quote and the image are fabricated.
According to fact-checking organization The Dissent, the quote card and image were initially disseminated through several politically motivated social media pages before being amplified by general users across multiple platforms.
Verification found no evidence that Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman ever made the statement attributed to him. Likewise, there is no indication that any Indian police officer made such a remark in his presence.
When contacted regarding the viral claim, Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman dismissed it, saying:
“This is certainly fake. I do not even know or understand Hindi.”
The viral image was also examined using AI-detection tools, including WasItAI and ZeroGPT. Analyses conducted by both platforms identified the image as likely artificial or digitally generated.
However, reports published by several news outlets indicate that an incident involving Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman at Delhi Airport did occur. According to those reports, he was temporarily stopped during the immigration process and allegedly experienced discourteous treatment. After his identity was verified, airport authorities reportedly allowed him entry and expressed regret over the incident.
Despite receiving clearance to enter India, Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman subsequently chose not to proceed with his visit and instead returned to Bangladesh on another flight.
As a result, while the airport incident itself appears to be genuine, the viral quote and accompanying image circulating on social media are entirely fabricated and misleading.
//DBTech/SI/EK/OR//
