United News of Bangladesh

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday said the audio clip circulated on social media in the name of Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury involving Gono Parishad Odhikar leader Nurul Haque Nur is ‘fake or AI-generated’. The fabricated 25-second audio clip shared from multiple accounts including one named ‘Ismail Chowdhury Samrat’ attempted to show the adviser instructing an anonymous police officer regarding Nur, said a statement of the Home Ministry. The ministry clarified that the voice in the clip does not belong to the adviser but is an artificially generated or distorted version. Anyone familiar with the adviser’s voice can easily understand that it is not his voice, the statement said. The ministry said such false and misleading content misinforms the public, spreads rumours and undermines social order and the rule of law. The Ministry of Home Affairs strongly protests the creation and circulation of such fabricated audio recordings and the responsible people will be brought under strict legal action, it said. The ministry also cautioned against making or spreading any fake audio or content on social media and warned that legal action will be taken against those involved in such activities.

An audio call record between Pankaj Debnath, ruling party lawmaker of Barisal-4 constituency, and Mehendiganj police station inspector (Investigation) Md Tauhiduzzaman has gone viral where Pankaj said that he has directed his followers to chop rival in the party including Mehendiganj municipality mayor. The call record has created much criticism among the party and netizens. In the one-minute nine-second-long audio clip, Pankaj Debnath was heard to say, “No matter the clash happened there. He is not a good man. If they want further clash, I have directed my men to chop everyone in front of them including the mayor. The man who has been chopped is bad and drug addicted. Isn’t it? I have directed my followers to ready for a future fight.” Party sources said two rival groups had taken preparation for further attack after an attack on Awami League activist Ratul Chowdhury on July 4. Following the incident, Pankaj Debnath called the police inspector and made the conversation. Read: AL MP Pankaj for deferring Dhaka city polls Acknowledging that he heard the audio call, Tauhiduzzaman said during the attack on Ratul Chowdhury, two rival groups were planning to attack each other. By this time, lawmaker Pankaj Debnath called him over the phone and the matter is a political one. Denying the allegation, Pankaj Debnath said, “Talukder Yunus and Kamal Khan are doing conspiracy against me. They have spread the call record by imitating my tone on the internet intentionally to tarnish my image.”   Mehendiganj municipality mayor and upazila Awami League general secretary Kamal Uddin Khan said, “We have informed the incident the high command of the party. As a responsible person, he (Pankaj Debnath) cannot give direction to chop anyone. He wants to control Awami League leaders and activists by doing the politics of arms.”