State Minister Faces Controversy Over Alleged Moral Lapse with Woman

An indecent video and several photos allegedly involving a woman and a State Minister of Water Resources in a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government have sparked widespread discussion on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.

The state minister, Mr. Forhad Hossain Azad, was elected in the last general election from the Panchagarh-2 constituency as a Member of Parliament, nominated by the BNP.

Mr. Forhad and his supporters have claimed that the video and photos were created and manipulated using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Subsequently, several Bangladeshi media outlets published reports based on Mr. Forhad Hossain Azad’s statement, along with their own interpretations, suggesting that the content was created and circulated by a Facebook page allegedly linked to Chatro Shibir, the so-called student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

However, The Dissent, a fact-checking media outlet in Bangladesh, investigated the video and images using its digital verification system. The organisation concluded that the video and photos of Mr. Forhad were genuine and captured by a human, not generated by AI.

The Dissent reported that several Bangladeshi media outlets had claimed the content was fake without conducting proper verification.

Earlier, The Dissent had also examined an indecent video involving Mr. Gazi Nazrul Islam, a Member of Parliament from Satkhira District, who was elected in the last general election as a nominee of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Initially, Mr. Islam’s supporters claimed that the video was fake and AI-generated.

However, The Dissent later verified the footage and concluded that it was authentic.

Similarly, the state minister and his supporters have continued to assert on social media that the video and photos are fake and are part of an attempt to damage Mr. Forhad’s political career. 

Mr. Forhad told the media that the viral video was completely fabricated and the allegations were baseless.

Meanwhile, local BNP leaders and supporters have held press conferences and organised marches, alleging that the video and photos were falsely circulated by Shibir.

BNP leaders and supporters continue to maintain that the content is fake, similar to claims previously made by Jamaat and Shibir activists.

According to the latest updates, Mr. Nazrul Islam was expelled from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami after an emergency party meeting over the leak of the indecent video. However, BNP has not held any meeting regarding the alleged moral lapse of Mr. Forhad.

The Dissent contacted both Mr. Forhad and the woman appearing in the video and photos. The woman denied any involvement and rejected claims linking her to the incident.

The Dissent further reported that the mobile phone used to capture the video and photos was linked to Mr. Forhad. The outlet established this connection by matching the device with images from Mr. Forhad’s Facebook account.