Chhatra Dal leader files case against seven Facebook pages

A Chhatra Dal leader has filed a case against seven Facebook pages, alleging defamation, hate speech and religious provocation using artificial intelligence-generated content on social media.

Jannatul Ferdous Jui, a member of the Begum Rokeya Hall unit of Chhatra Dal at Dhaka University, filed the case on Monday, January 26, at the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal. Judge Mohammad Saidur Rahman Gazi recorded the complainant’s statement and ordered the Criminal Investigation Department to investigate the allegations.

Dhaka Bar Association general secretary and Jui’s lawyer Syed Nazrul Islam said the case was filed in accordance with legal procedures and CID has begun the investigation.

The accused Facebook pages named in the case are Fight Against Hindutva Backup, Fight Against Hindutva Official, FAH Exclusive, Osman Chai Chand, SB Billal Hasanat Anu, Riyashat Farhan Hossain and Harul Haque.

According to the complaint, the accused acted in collusion to push Jui and her associate Tawhida Sultana out of online activism by spreading defamatory, obscene and false content. It is alleged they used bot IDs and AI-generated manipulated images and videos to politically blackmail Jui.

The complaint also stated that obscene comments were posted about the complainant and a witness on December 23. The accused allegedly spread religiously provocative statements and issued threats via Messenger in an attempt to socially humiliate her.

After filing the case, Jui said she and her colleagues were being personally and politically targeted for their online activism. She expressed hope that the CID investigation would identify and hold the real perpetrators accountable.