Photographers, metadata dismiss DMP claim that photo of DC Masud clamping Buet protester's mouth is AI-generated
Alongside TBS's Rajib Dhar, several other photojournalists were present at the scene – one from the New Age, Bangladesh Pratidin's Joyeeta Roy, The Daily Star's Orchid Chakma, and Daily Manab Zamin's Md Abusufian Jewel
Photographers and metadata analysis have contradicted the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) claim that a viral image showing Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner (DC) Masud Alam clamping a protesting student's mouth with his right hand was generated with artificial intelligence (AI), affirming instead that the photo was taken during demonstrations in Dhaka on Wednesday (27 August).
The DMP in a statement posted on Thursday evening (28 August) on the DMP News, the online news portal of the force, said that the image was misleading and created using AI technology. The DMP also shared a post on this on its verified Facebook page around the same time, drawing criticisms from various quarters.
When contacted, DMP's Media Division DC Talebur Rahman told The Business Standard, "No such incident has occurred, as shown by the photo where a police official is covering a student's mouth."
In the statement, DMP said, "Recently, an image created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, showing a student's mouth being held by Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Ramna Division, has been circulated across various media outlets and social media platforms, drawing the attention of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
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"It appears that the image was deliberately created by someone to spread unnecessary confusion among the public."
The DMP further said, "A deep observation of the image reveals that it is entirely generated using AI technology and bears no relation to reality."
The DMP condemned creating and disseminating such images targeting a responsible police officer with the intent to mislead the public. It also urged all not to be misled by "such false publications".
The statement comes in the backdrop of Wednesday's protest, where police used batons, tear gas, sound grenades, and water cannons to disperse students of engineering universities from the Minto Road, in front of the InterContinental Dhaka, as they marched towards the chief adviser's official residence, Jamuna, to press home their three-point demand.
The incident in question was also captured by The Business Standard's Photojournalist Rajib Dhar, which shows a police officer covering a protester's mouth during a scuffle as the force uses water cannons to disperse engineering students marching towards Jamuna.
As the DMP statement sparked widespread criticism on social media, Associate Professor of Dhaka University's Department of Mass Communication and Journalism Saiful Alam Chowdhury to his Facebook handle and shared images of the tools he used to verify the said image.
He wrote in his post, "The police have provided no explanation about which software they used, whether they did a metadata analysis, or what made them conclude that the photo was AI-generated. The most reliable way to determine if an image is AI-generated is through metadata analysis. To my knowledge, the police do not have such analysts.
"...after the police's claim, just by looking at the 'grammar' of the image, I felt this picture was not AI-generated. In AI-generated images, if there are multiple hands, the hands usually cannot appear simultaneously at both 90 and 120-degree angles. That is why I tested the image using six different tools.
"The result: the photo is real," Saiful wrote.
TBS ran a metadata test on its own image, which shows the creator is Rajib Dhar, and that the photo was captured at 2:50pm on 27 August 2025.
Speaking to TBS, Rajib recounted the events surrounding the image. "It happened in a split second," he said.
He said he was positioned by the InterContinental. The police and the students were in the parking exit of the Shahid Abu Sayed International Convention Centre, located on the opposite side of the famous hotel, on Minto Road.
"The police had just fired a water cannon. A youth was running away like the other protesters. It appeared a policeman tried to stop him. That's when he grabbed him by the face and dropped him on the ground," Rajib said.
Alongside Rajib, several other photojournalists were present at the scene – one from the New Age, Bangladesh Pratidin's Joyeeta Roy, The Daily Star's Orchid Chakma, and Daily Manab Zamin's Md Abusufian Jewel.
Bangladesh Pratidin's Photojournalist Joyeeta told TBS that she had captured the same action.
"After police started using the water cannon, I spotted a scuffle. There were a few policemen coming forward with sticks. A youth was grabbed by a police officer. I took a quick photo. Then I saw his friends coming forward when that happened," she said.
The Daily Star's Photojournalist Orchid Chakma also said he took a snap when the incident took place in a flash, but did not quite see what led to that point.
When TBS contacted the Buet student seen in the photo, identified as Rafid Khan, he said, "The widely discussed photo is not AI-generated. The incident actually happened to me."
Speaking about the officer pressing his mouth, Rafid said, "It happened just when I was pushed from behind and fell to the ground."
A video, taken from another angle and shared on Facebook by ATN Bangla News on Wednesday, also showed the seconds before the photo was taken. It showed how Rafid was beaten by multiple baton-wielding police officers on the footpath and on the road. As he tried to fight back, the scuffle ensued, and officers were seen beating and attempting to detain him, leading to the scene that was captured by several photographers.
When TBS asked DC Talebur about photos that were published by several media capturing the event, he said, "I am not aware of this."
