According to a video circulating on social media, senior journalist Palki Sharma has reported that India is suspected of being involved in the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, a Bangladeshi student leader who sparked protests in Bangladesh.
In the video, Sharma says India has a history of cross-border targeted killings that may be linked to Hadi's death, and compares it to the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
evidence
Original video doesn't support viral claims
News Checker traced the visual used in the viral clip to a video titled “Indian man 'speared' to death by Bangladeshi patrol boat” published on Firstpost's official YouTube channel on December 19.
In the original report, senior journalist Palki Sharma discusses rising tensions between India and Bangladesh amid political instability in the neighboring countries. This corner focuses on the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus and its role in stirring up anti-India sentiment through provocative political rhetoric.
Sharma also referred to fatal accidents involving Indian fishermen and India's response to border-related incidents, including legal detention by the Indian Coast Guard.
She also questions the fairness of Bangladesh's upcoming elections, particularly as the Bangladesh People's Party prepares for the return of exiled leader Tariq Rahman.
Importantly, Sharma did not mention in the original video any allegations related to Sharif Osman Hadi, his killing, India's alleged involvement, or cross-border targeted killings.
Audio mismatch indicates manipulation
A frame-by-frame comparison of the original Firstpost video and the viral clip confirms that the background, camera angle, and on-screen visuals are identical. This proves that the viral content came directly from Sharma's report.
However, a closer look at the viral clip reveals glaring discrepancies between Sharma's lip movements and the words being heard. In some instances, spoken sounds do not match visible mouth movements. Moreover, the tone and intonation of the voice differed markedly from Sharma's known speaking style, further heightening suspicions.
These discrepancies strongly suggest that the artificial narration was digitally overlaid onto the real footage, a technique commonly used in AI misinformation.
Deepfake detection tool confirms AI-generated audio
To independently verify the authenticity of the audio, Newschecker analyzed the viral clip using multiple deepfake detection tools.
Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector rates the audio reliability score as just 4 out of 100, suggesting that the audio is very likely artificially generated.
This clip was tested using the DeepFake-O-Meter developed by the Media Forensics Laboratory at the University at Buffalo. Two of the analyzes assessed the likelihood that the audio was generated by AI at 82.1 percent and 70.9 percent, further confirming that the viral video's soundtrack was manipulated.
Bangladesh Police rules out cross-border involvement
In an emergency press conference at the Ministry of Interior, Additional Inspector General of Police Khandaker Rafiqul Islam said there was no concrete evidence to suggest the attackers had traveled to India.
Prominent student leader Sharif Osman Hadi was shot in the head on December 12 while traveling in a rickshaw in Dhaka's Pratan Paltan area. He was then airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment, but succumbed to his injuries on the night of December 18.
Also read: AI-manipulated video falsely claims Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt criticize Nitish Kumar over hijab row
verdict
This viral video falsely attributes statements to journalist Palki Sharma by using AI-manipulated audio over real footage. She did not claim that India was involved in targeted killings in Bangladesh.
FAQ
1- Did Palki Sharma blame India for the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi?
No, there is no such statement in her original report. The viral clip features AI-generated audio.
2- Where is the original video from?
This visual is from a Firstpost report published on December 19 titled “Indian man dies 'speared' by Bangladeshi patrol boat”.
source of information
Firstpost YouTube video, December 19, 2025
Unified Bangladesh News (UNB) Report, December 21, 2025
Al Jazeera report, December 19, 2025
Analysis of Hiya Deepfake Audio Detector
DeepFake-O-Meter, University at Buffalo Media Forensics Institute
