Image of exiled Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina ‘receiving Hindu blessing’ was altered from old photo

Bangladesh’s Hindu minority were seen as disproportionate supporters of autocratic former premier Sheikh Hasina’s government, but a photo circulating on social media purportedly showing her receiving a blessing from Hindu priests while exiled in neighbouring India is doctored. Hasina’s image was superimposed over a photo of Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who was interacting with the priests at a religious site in September 2022.

The image, which was shared more than 6,000 times, was shared on Facebook on November 21, 2024.

It supposedly shows Sheikh Hasina receiving a tilak — a mark on the forehead considered a blessing that is also used to indicate members of the Hindu faith — from a priest.

“Sister is Muslim in Bangladesh. Can this be a sign of being a Muslim?” reads text on the image.

Its caption said Hasina is Muslim when in Bangladesh but Hindu when in India.

Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter to neighbouring India in August as a student-led uprising saw protesters flood the streets of the capital Dhaka, bringing a dramatic end to her iron-fisted tenure.

Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have been tense since the toppling of Hasina — who was strongly backed by India (archived link).

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, leader of Bangladesh’s interim government, has condemned acts of “Indian aggression” he alleged were intended to destabilise his administration.

India, for its part, has accused Muslim-majority Bangladesh of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu community — seen by some as disproportionate supporters of Hasina’s government — from reprisal attacks (archived link).

The image circulating online was also shared elsewhere on Facebook and TikTok, with comments on the posts suggesting users believed it was a genuine photo.

“That woman has always been against Muslims,” read one comment.

Another said: “This is her real face.”

The image, however, was altered from a photo taken two years before Hasina was ousted.

Superimposed image

A reverse image search on Google led to a similar photo — instead showing Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi — published by Indian news outlet ABP News on September 14, 2022 (archived link).

According to the Hindi-language report, Gandhi was visiting the shrine of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri in Kerala.

The visit was a stop on his “long march“, which aimed to highlight social divisions and growing polarisation between majority Hindus and religious minorities under Prime Minister Narendra Modi (archived link).

Another keyword search found the photo was shared as part of a set of images on the official X account of Gandhi’s Congress party on September 14, 2022 (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (left) and the Congress party photo (right):

Hasina’s likeness appears to have been superimposed over Gandhi, as the opposition leader’s right hand and left shoulder are still visible in the falsely shared image.

The image of Hasina that was superimposed over Gandhi is a mirrored AFP photo.

The AFP photo is captioned: “India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hands with Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina prior to a meeting in New Delhi on October 5, 2019.”

Hasina was in India for an official visit between October 3 and October 6, 2019 (archived link).

AFP has previously debunked other false claims targeting Hasina here and here.

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