AI screenshot row: DU student show-caused, two probes launched

University of Dhaka authorities have issued a show-cause notice to a student of Salimullah Muslim Hall over the circulation of an alleged AI-generated fake Facebook screenshot involving Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his daughter Zaima Rahman, amid rising campus tensions.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Provost Standing Committee on Thursday night (April 23), chaired by Vice-Chancellor Professor A B M Obaidul Islam, according to a statement signed by acting Director of Public Relations Forrukh Mahmud.

The development followed a clash between the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir at the premises of Shahbagh Police Station.

According to witnesses and police sources, DUCSU Social Services Secretary A B Jubair and Literary and Cultural Affairs Secretary Musaddiq Ali Ibn Mohammad were allegedly assaulted by activists of the Chhatra Dal near the police station.

Later, the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal brought out a protest march, led by its central president Rakibul Islam Raki, condemning what it described as “gupto” (clandestine) politics on campus.

The accused, Abdullah Al Mahmud, a resident student of SM Hall and a former IT secretary of the campus unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir, has been asked to submit a written explanation within 24 hours.

University officials said tensions escalated after an “obscene” Facebook post was attributed to the student. However, fact-checking platform Rumor Scanner later confirmed the screenshot was fabricated using artificial intelligence and was circulated with malicious intent.

To investigate the incident, the administration has formed a three-member probe committee led by Residential Teacher Dr Md Anwar Hossain, with Jawad Ibne Farid as member secretary and Assistant Proctor Dr Md Mosaddek Khan as member. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 48 hours.

A separate three-member committee, headed by Assistant Proctor Dr Shantu Barua, has also been formed to investigate allegations of assault on journalists at Shahbag Police Station. This panel has been given three working days to report.

The university has urged all students to refrain from wall writing and graffiti inside residential halls to maintain discipline and campus aesthetics. Authorities also called for restraint and mutual respect, warning that no one should take the law into their own hands as the matter will be resolved through due process.