Photo shows a Bangladesh school principal 'tied to a tree'? No, claim is false

What is the claim?

An image circulating on social media purports to show a Hindu teacher named Geetanjali Barua tied to a tree by Muslim students in Bangladesh. According to these claims, Barua was allegedly pressured to resign, and when she refused, she was subjected to this treatment by the students. 

Posts on X (formerly Twitter) cited this as evidence of communal violence in Bangladesh, with some users describing it as part of an ongoing "pogrom." Archived versions of these posts are available here and here.

Screenshots of the social media posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

The New Indian Express published a report titled “Geetanjali Barua being tied to a tree by her students.” The report reiterated the claim that Barua was tied to a tree by students.

Screenshot of the news article by The New Indian Express. (Source: The New Indian Express/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this claim is false. The woman in the viral image is reportedly a former student who was tied to a tree by protesting students. Principal Geetanjali Barua was not the individual tied up by the students.

How did we find the truth?

We examined the details of the viral posts to verify their accuracy. Students at Azimpur Government Girls School & College in Dhaka had staged a protest calling for the resignation of two teachers, including Principal Barua. 

According to a report by Bangladeshi media outlet Ajker Patrika, students accused teachers of summoning former students to attack them. In retaliation, the students tied one of these former students to a tree. This incident was reported on August 19 under the headline, “Students Threatened, Former Student Tied to a Tree in Azimpur.” 

The report also included a video with several images of the former student tied to the tree. Upon comparing these images with the viral photo, we confirmed that they depict the same event.

Comparison between the viral image and the visuals from the news report. (Source: X/Ajker Patrika/Modified by Logically Facts)

Bangladeshi television network ATN News Live (archived here) covered the protest, which erupted on the first day of school. Students demanded the resignation of the principal and teachers, whom they accused of operating illegal coaching businesses. The students also alleged that the teachers were verbally abusive and had called former students to retaliate against them. In a video, Principal Barua is seen addressing the situation, stating that action would be taken against the implicated teachers.

Amid the protests, Barua submitted a written resignation, as captured in the news footage. Students also claimed that they had been attacked by ‘outsiders,’ who were later identified as former students. One of these former students, who spoke to the media, confirmed she graduated from the school 14 years earlier. As tensions escalated, the army intervened to restore order.

Additionally, we compared images of Principal Barua from the news video with those of the woman tied to the tree. The comparison conclusively shows that they are two different individuals.

The image shows Principal Geetanjali Barua (left) and the outsider who was tied to a tree by the students (right). (Source: ATN News Live/Screenshot)

Further corroborating this, an image of Barua on the official Azimpur Government Girls School & College website makes it clear that the woman in the viral image is not her.

An image of Geetanjali Barua on the Azimpur college's official website. (Source: Azimpur Government Girls School & College/Screenshot)

Although we could not definitively identify the woman tied to the tree, it is evident that she is not Principal Barua. The protest centered on allegations of corruption and misconduct by the teachers and was not motivated by communal issues.

In the wake of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, a surge of communal misinformation has flooded social media, with reports of violence in various areas. Logically Facts has debunked several similar claims, which can be accessed here and here.

The verdict

The viral image does not show Principal Geetanjali Barua of Azimpur Government Girls School & College tied to a tree. It actually depicts a former student who was restrained by protesting students. The image has been falsely presented on social media as part of a communal incident.