Photos of paddy on fire are of India, not Bangladesh: AL's Hanif

The photos on social media of farmers setting ripe paddy on fire reportedly to protest low prices in Bangladesh are indeed of fields in India’s Punjab, Awami League leader Mahbub-Ul Alam Hanif has claimed.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 23 May 2019, 02:36 PM
Updated : 23 May 2019, 07:12 PM

Mainstream media also recently published news with photos of farmers setting fire to paddy in Tangail and Bogura amidst the ongoing crisis over low prices.

“Photos of paddy field being set on fire are uploaded on Facebook. It is claimed that the incident occurred in Bogura,” Hanif, a joint general secretary of the ruling party, said at a discussion in Dhaka on Thursday.

“We’ve inquired and found that paddy was not set ablaze in Bogura. The photos are actually of a paddy field in India’s Punjab. The government there was trying to douse the fire. But the photos are intentionally circulated to give the impression that those are of Bogura,” he said.

Such antigovernment provocations were also made during jute mill workers’ protests for back pay, the Awami League leader said and blamed the BNP for the propaganda.

“They have taken this path because they had failed to topple the government by burning people alive,” he added and warned the party workers to be alert about “conspiracy to obstruct development under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina”.

Hanif demanded legal action by law-enforcing agencies against those who circulated the photos.

Senior Awami League leader Matia Chowdhury was the chief guest of the programme on Hasina’s role in women empowerment and building Bangladesh.

She also alerted all to “conspiracy by the BNP and its ally the Jamaat-e-Islami that had destroyed agriculture and industry of the country and created militancy”.

Professor Anwar Hossain presented the key note at the event presided over by Awami League Women’s Affairs Secretary Sultana Shafi.