Rizvi apologises for remarks on DMP chief, fabricated photo linking Ducsu VP to Hadi shooting suspect

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi today (13 December) issued an apology for remarks on Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali and Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) Vice-President (VP) Shadik Kayem he made earlier in the day, acknowledging that two claims he cited at a rally were unfounded and based on AI-generated content.

In a statement, Rizvi said, "A photocard carrying the logo of RTV, quoting the DMP commissioner, and an image showing a suspect in the shooting of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi having tea with the Ducsu VP had circulated widely on Facebook."

"Both issues were baseless and AI-generated. I referenced them at a gathering outside the party's central office without fact-checking. I sincerely regret this unintentional mistake," he added.

Rizvi's apology came after his remarks at a protest rally in front of the BNP's Nayapaltan central office in the afternoon, where the BNP leader said, "The police commissioner said that the suspect in the Hadi shooting case is affiliated with Jamaat-Shibir."

Later, the DMP, in a statement, clarified that the commissioner made no such remarks attributed to him and warned against misinformation spread via fabricated visuals and photo cards on social media.

"Unidentified individuals had maliciously created and circulated a photo card on social media by falsely attributing statements to the police commissioner in an attempt to spread confusion," DMP said.

DMP urged the public not to be misled by rumours and false information.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly condemned what it termed "false and baseless" statements made by Rizvi quoting the DMP chief, calling the remarks "politically unethical, irresponsible and misleading to the public". It also called on Rizvi to withdraw his statement.

Rizvi also stated, "How justice would be ensured after images circulated on social media show an identified attacker, linked to Jamaat-Shibir and Chhatra League, sitting with the Ducsu VP."

Ducsu VP Shadik Kayem, however, refuted the claim, stating the image was "AI-generated".

In a Facebook post, Shadik said Rizvi had irresponsibly spread misinformation by relying on an "AI-generated image circulated by an Awami propaganda cell".

"Accepting an AI-generated image as fact and publicly associating me with the attempted murder of Hadi is not responsible behaviour expected from a senior leader of a party like BNP," he wrote.

Later at night, in another post, the Ducsu VP apologised for his post and welcomed the BNP leader's withdrawal of his statement.

He wrote, "By withdrawing his statement Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has added a new dimension to a positive change in political culture. I personally respect and commend this step."

Shadik said, "We believe that in democratic politics there will be differences of opinion and debates. However, it is never desirable to link anyone to an incident based on fake information, AI-generated images, or unverified statements."

"In this regard, Rizvi's correction of his position and expression of regret will remain a positive example," he added.

Speaking at the event, the BNP leader also said, "The gun attack on Dhaka-8 independent candidate Hadi is a well-planned conspiracy."

The rally was organised to condemn the attacks on Hadi and BNP-nominated Chattogram-8 candidate Ershad Ullah and to demand swift justice.

The BNP leader also criticised the rapid spread of social media posts within hours of the shooting, saying allegations were made against the party's Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas without any investigation. "If guilt is decided on Facebook so quickly, what is the need for an investigation?"

Rizvi mentioned that Hadi had never spoken against Mirza Abbas nor attacked him politically. "He spoke against injustice and against enemies of the country. Is becoming an independent candidate in Dhaka-8 a crime?" he asked.

Rizvi highlighted Mirza Abbas's long political career, saying there had never been any allegation of violence against him in nearly 50 years of politics.

"Even those he disagrees with say that although he may scold people, he has never harmed anyone. It is not believable that such a guardian-like figure would harm someone young enough to be his son," he added.

Referring to Jamaat, Rizvi further alleged, "Those who did not feel remorse even after killing three million people and dishonouring 2,00,000 women in 1971 are capable of doing anything. This is a carefully crafted conspiracy and master plan to immediately pin the blame on BNP leaders and frame the party."

He described the incident as a planned conspiracy aimed at shifting responsibility onto BNP, stressing that the real perpetrators must be identified and punished through a fair and credible investigation.