[🇧🇩] Disinformation/Misinformation about Bangladesh in Local/Indian Media

[Lulldapull]

@Mainerik…..our war with the Afghanis is seriously hotting up. There’s a whole lotta killing on the KP/ Afghani borders and we are losing our soldiers.

Yesterday our AF bombed multiple targets in Afghanistan to tell the Taliban that we are willing to respond with force.

Afghanistan is an enemy of Pakistan from day one.

Apologies for going off topic.

 

[Saif]

A message from one neighbour to another

Indians must hold their media accountable, and they must treat their neighbours as they want to be treated themselves.

www.thedailystar.net

A message from one neighbour to another

FILE VISUAL: ANWAR SOHEL

The disinformation campaign and lies hurled by certain quarters in India after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's brutal fascist regime are deplorable, and seem to be nothing short of an attempt to destabilise the communal harmony in Bangladesh. Bangladesh believes in and respects the sovereignty of every nation, and we do not meddle in the internal affairs or try to destabilise the peace and harmony of our neighbours.

India has been on an interesting journey. The promises made by the BJP government regarding unemployment and price rises during the 2014 campaign have all but evaporated. India's unemployment rate is higher than the unemployment rate of both Bangladesh and Pakistan. Indian consumers, being crushed under steep price rises, have yet to see "Ache Din."

Amid this bleak economic scenario, Manipur is burning, millions of lives could be destroyed on the pretext of NRC in Assam, Dalits face violence and discrimination all over the country, and farmers die by suicide and their protests for a fair deal continues to go unheard. In addition, the extensive violence against women in India (the incident at R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata being a recent example) is an affront to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" campaign.

Muslims in India have been lynched for allegedly eating beef, rapists were garlanded after raping a pregnant Muslim woman, and plans to demolish at least 11 mosques were awaiting court verdicts in December, surprisingMeanwhile, as the killing of Bangladeshi citizens by India's Border Security Force (BSF) continues, blatant interference in our democratic process has taken place, clearly one-sided trade deals have been routine, and we still do not have our fair share of water in 53 years. It is, therefore, time to recalibrate how matters are handled between the two countries.

It's time for India to delve into introspection and self-examination. It cannot hide behind the false narrative of Hindu persecution in Bangladesh when crimes are being committed against its own minorities on Indian soil. No amount of deflection will work anymore.

This overbearing theme is conspicuous in India's relationships with its other neighbours, where anti-India sentiments have been growing. And now attempts to demonise Bangladesh are in full view for the world to see.

A Hindutva mob attacked our Assistant High Commission in Agartala in an abhorrent violation of the Geneva Convention. Yet, lies about Bangladeshi minorities continue to be circulated in an effort to dehumanise Bangladeshi Muslims. Calling one's neighbours "termites" and "infiltrators" only reflects one's own true disposition.

We guard mandirs while mosques are demolished in our neighbouring country for mandirs to be built on top of them. Lawyer Saiful Islam's father appealed for peace and calm even after enduring the brutal death of his son. That is the magnanimity we embody in our hearts as Bangladeshis. We have lived in communal harmony for hundreds of years, and we will continue to do so. Our Hindu brothers and sisters must speak up against the twisted lies being spewed from across the border. It is incumbent on every Bangladeshi citizen to push back against this attack on our national character and identity.

I urge all sensible Indians to please pay attention to the statistics. Bangladesh is India's largest trading partner in South Asia, with bilateral trade totalling $15.9 billion in FY2022-23. India exported goods worth $13.8 billion to Bangladesh during the same period. Our trade deficit with India is at $9.2 billion. Bangladeshi medical tourists contribute heavily to India's healthcare sector, comprising 54.3 percent (in 2020) of foreign medical tourists. Over 25 lakh Bangladeshi tourists visit India annually, accounting for more than 22 percent of foreign tourist arrivals. And Bangladesh is India's fourth-largest remittance provider.

The Indian government has given shelter to an autocratic mass murderer who ordered her own citizens to be butchered to try and remain in power. There is credible evidence to show that India interfered in how our elections played out. But that reality has changed as of August 5, 2024, and India must reconcile with its neighbour on equal terms and with equal respect.

Hasina is no Dalai Lama. India is under no obligation to provide for her. Providing shelter to a mass murderer like her sends a negative message to Bangladesh.

We urge certain segments of the Indian media—commonly being referred to nowadays as the Godi media—to stop spewing the toxic venom of disinformation and lies. We are a sovereign nation, and it is well within our rights to treat our citizens how we deem fit, within our rules of law. The trial of Chinmoy Krishna Das is no exception. Our internal affairs are not the business of our neighbouring countries, and they must be mindful of that fact.

Our citizens must remain calm, strategic, and vigilant against any attempt to project us as extremists and communal people. We must demonstrate restraint against every provocation and stay on the course of peaceful solutions to any problems within our borders. No hate based on religion should ever permeate our society.

If such propaganda against Bangladesh continues, UN special rapporteurs should be invited to visit both countries to assess the plight of their minorities.

India is on the wrong course. The people of India must wake up and take note of that fact. They should not fall victim to any group that tries to use the old "divide and rule" tactic based on religion and harmful narratives. Indians must hold their media accountable, and they must treat their neighbours as they want to be treated themselves.

Respect must always be mutual.

A.K. Flora is a non-resident Bangladeshi author and non-profit founder.​

 

[Saif]

Dr Yunus urges Meta to intensify efforts against misinformation, fake news

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday urged Meta to step up efforts to tackle misinformation and fake news being spread through Facebook in Bangladesh. Dr Yunus said "oligarchs and politicians" linked to the "toppled dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina" siphoned off tens of billions of dollars f

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Dr Yunus urges Meta to intensify efforts against misinformation, fake news
UNB
Published :
Jan 23, 2025 21:32
Updated :
Jan 23, 2025 21:38

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday urged Meta to step up efforts to tackle misinformation and fake news being spread through Facebook in Bangladesh.

Dr Yunus said "oligarchs and politicians" linked to the "toppled dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina" siphoned off tens of billions of dollars from Bangladesh during her 15 years of rule.

"These people are now spending their fortune to spread lies and misinformation about Bangladesh," the Chief Adviser told Sir Nick Clegg, the head of global affairs at Meta, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in the Swiss city.

Clegg is also a former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Probir Mehta, Director of Policy Planning of Meta; Lamiya Morshed, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator; and Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative in Geneva, also joined the meeting.

When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world.

Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented, virtual and mixed reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.

Clegg said Facebook would continue to do fact-checking and digital verification in Bangladesh as it is an important country, with its population the world's eighth largest, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told UNB.

Meta's decision to stop fact-checking in the United States would not be applicable for Bangladesh and countries in Europe, he said.

He said Facebook would likely scale up its digital verification service in Bangladesh and would explore ways to do fact checking by users -- similar to the operation of Wikipedia.

During the half-an-hour-long meeting, Clegg also offered Meta's expertise in drafting a new cybersecurity laws. "We have a lot of experience here," he said.

The Meta global affairs chief said Llama, the company's recently launched open-sourced large language model AI, could help revolutionise health care, farming and education.

He hoped it would be popular among the users in Bangladesh.

Prof Yunus asked Meta to organise month-long training programs on Llama in Bangladesh. "It will open up new opportunities for Bangladesh's young people," he said.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh denounces Indian media's 'propaganda' on minority attacks

The Indian Express report titled "Minorities targeted, bid to rewrite history, take revenge for 1971 events" on Friday is misleading and is part of a well-organised propaganda campaign run by Indian media, said Chief Adviser's press wing. The newspaper projected the arrest of three Awami League MP

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Bangladesh denounces Indian media's 'propaganda' on minority attacks
UNB
Published :
Jan 24, 2025 20:27
Updated :
Jan 24, 2025 20:44

The Indian Express report titled "Minorities targeted, bid to rewrite history, take revenge for 1971 events" on Friday is misleading and is part of a well-organised propaganda campaign run by Indian media, said Chief Adviser's press wing.

The newspaper projected the arrest of three Awami League MPs as attacks on minorities using the crime suspects' religious identity, CA's press wing said through its fact-checking Facebook page.

Referring to Awami League leaders, Indian Express reported that there were around 2,000 incidents of arson, looting, and burning involving the minorities (Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians) between August 5 and August 20, 2024, and "scattered attacks" were still taking place every day.

A police report on January 11 has revealed that most attacks on minorities since August 4, 2024, were politically motivated.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has claimed that there has been a total of 1,769 incidents of communal attacks and vandalism against minorities in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Police has collected a list of complaints prepared by the council.

The police have contacted the relevant individuals and authorities from minority communities who are alleged to have been targeted in this violence.

The police investigated every place, institution, and individual according to the Council's list.

Police investigations revealed that 1,234 incidents were politically motivated and 20 were communal.

At least 161 allegations were found to be false. Appropriate legal action was taken where the reported communal attacks took place.

Quoting a Hasina follower, Indian Express reported that there is an attempt to rewrite history and take revenge for the historic events of 1971, undermining the Interim Government's endeavour to correct historical facts distorted by the fallen dictator during her 16 years of misrule.​

 

[Saif]

CA Press Wing debunks Indian weekly's report

A news item on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus' meeting with president of Open Society Foundations Alex Soros, carried by Indian weekly The Organiser, is false, CA Press Wing said today.

en.prothomalo.com

CA Press Wing debunks Indian weekly's report
BSS
Dhaka
Published: 30 Jan 2025, 21: 48

A news item on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus' meeting with president of Open Society Foundations Alex Soros, carried by Indian weekly The Organiser, is false, CA Press Wing said today.

"The Organiser weekly in India has launched another salvo in the ongoing campaign of many Indian nationalists to discredit Bangladesh's interim government and to pave the way for India's proxy, Sheikh Hasina, to resume her despotic rule over Bangladesh," the press wing said in a statement posted on its verified Facebook account - CA Press Wing Facts.

The Organiser's latest canard is that the meeting between Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus and Alex Soros, president of the Open Society Foundations, constituted a challenge to US President Donald Trump.

The interim government has complete confidence that President Trump and his team will see through this transparent effort to create friction between Bangladesh and the United States.

According to the statement, the US Department of State and its embassy in Dhaka are well aware that Prof Yunus meets with a wide variety of people, from senior government officials to leaders in business and civil society organisations, including those who are critical of Bangladesh itself.

"We look forward to continuing to work with the United States and Bangladesh's other friends and allies to combat efforts to manipulate the Trump administration and to create divisions between countries through purely invented propaganda," the statement read.​

 

[Saif]

Chief Adviser’s press wing debunks Ananda Bazar Patrika’s report on Bangladesh army

Indian media is employing techniques of what has become known as hybrid warfare to support the country’s long-time proxy, Sheikh Hasina, and to attempt to discredit the people and institutions of Bangladesh that in July and August brought her despotic rule to an end, according to the statement

en.prothomalo.com

Chief Adviser’s press wing debunks Ananda Bazar Patrika’s report on Bangladesh army
BSS
Dhaka
Updated: 31 Jan 2025, 18: 50

Indian media outlet Ananda Bazar carried a report on Bangladesh Army Facebook account CA Press Wing Facts

The Chief Adviser’s Press Wing has said the news story of Indian media outlet, Ananda Bazar, carried targeting Bangladesh Army on Thursday is a false one.

“Its (Anandabazar) story about the Bangladesh army has no more basis in reality than a Bollywood romcom,” the press wing said in a statement posted on its verified Facebook account - CA Press Wing Facts - on Friday.

Indian media is employing techniques of what has become known as hybrid warfare to support the country’s long-time proxy, Sheikh Hasina, and to attempt to discredit the people and institutions of Bangladesh that in July and August brought her despotic rule to an end, according to the statement.

Indian media outlet Ananda Bazar Ptrika has taken down the report from its online portal. However, the report is available in its epaper on page 7 Screengrab of Ananda Bazar Patrika website taken around 5:07 pm on 31 January 2025

Hybrid war uses information operations - known as disinformation - to divide its targets both internally and from its natural friends and allies.

A disinformation operation typically begins with an entirely fabricated story, with no evidence and views attributed to unnamed people, planted in a friendly or pliable media outlet.

“If it is sufficiently juicy, the made-up story will be picked up by other media and gain apparent credibility as it spreads.

“Eventually, people who are interested in what’s going on in the world but too busy to delve into the details may come to believe the story that began as nothing more than a glimmer in a propagandist’s eye,” the statement read.

Heading of the report with a thumbnail photo is still available in the international section of Ananda Bazar Patrika. The screengrab is taken around 5:07 pm on 31 January 2025

The disinformation operation has succeeded entirely when people who believe the malign fiction are moved to act against the propagandist’s adversary.

In this case, the press wing said, the adversary is the people of Bangladesh and their desire to govern the affairs of their own sovereign country; the willing mouthpiece is Ananda Bazar.

It said Ananda Bazar’s story on the Bangladesh army has no basis in reality but is a Bollywood romcom.

“You must choose whether to practice journalism, based on collecting evidence of what is actually happening in the world, or to propagate malign fictions as part of a campaign to undermine the sovereignty and dignity of a friendly neighbour,” the statement said.​

 

[Saif]

CA Press Wing debunks Indian weekly's report

A news item on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus' meeting with president of Open Society Foundations Alex Soros, carried by Indian weekly The Organiser, is false, CA Press Wing said today.

en.prothomalo.com

CA Press Wing debunks Indian weekly's report
BSS
Dhaka
Published: 30 Jan 2025, 21: 48

A news item on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus' meeting with president of Open Society Foundations Alex Soros, carried by Indian weekly The Organiser, is false, CA Press Wing said today.

"The Organiser weekly in India has launched another salvo in the ongoing campaign of many Indian nationalists to discredit Bangladesh's interim government and to pave the way for India's proxy, Sheikh Hasina, to resume her despotic rule over Bangladesh," the press wing said in a statement posted on its verified Facebook account - CA Press Wing Facts.

The Organiser's latest canard is that the meeting between Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus and Alex Soros, president of the Open Society Foundations, constituted a challenge to US President Donald Trump.

The interim government has complete confidence that President Trump and his team will see through this transparent effort to create friction between Bangladesh and the United States.

According to the statement, the US Department of State and its embassy in Dhaka are well aware that Prof Yunus meets with a wide variety of people, from senior government officials to leaders in business and civil society organisations, including those who are critical of Bangladesh itself.

"We look forward to continuing to work with the United States and Bangladesh's other friends and allies to combat efforts to manipulate the Trump administration and to create divisions between countries through purely invented propaganda," the statement read.​

 

[Saif]

CA press wing terms Indian Express reports well-organised anti-Bangladesh propaganda

The Indian Express has published false reports as part of a well-organised propaganda campaign against Bangladesh and its interim government, Chief Adviser's Press Wing said.

en.prothomalo.com

CA press wing terms Indian Express reports well-organised anti-Bangladesh propaganda
BSS
Dhaka
Published: 26 Jan 2025, 17: 18

The Indian Express has published false reports as part of a well-organised propaganda campaign against Bangladesh and its interim government, Chief Adviser's Press Wing said.

"As part of a well-organised propaganda campaign, The Indian Express newspaper on Friday ran several stories based on the accounts of fugitive Bangladesh Awami League leaders who are all crime suspects and are accused of murders and massacres," it said.

The CA press wing said this in a statement posted on its verified Facebook page - CA Press Wing Facts -Saturday.

One such report is titled, "In hiding, Bangla Awami top brass connect with Hasina, wait for 'rule of law' to return" as it was full of false and misleading information without following the basic norms of journalism, the press wing claimed.

Quoting former Awami League MP Nahim Razzaq, The Indian Express reported that AL people are deprived of judicial rights and not getting bail.

Courts in Bangladesh are now functioning independently, which was evidenced by the fact that some of the former ministers of the Awami League regime, such as Saber Hossain Chowdhury and MA Mannan, were freed from jail as they were granted bail, the statement read.

The report quoted former AL MP and its Joint Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim as saying that they would be back home if the rule of law is re-established.

The interim government noted with regret that the rule of law was completely missing in Bangladesh during the rule of the Awami League between 2009 and mid-2024, which resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings, at least 3,000 cases of enforced disappearances, unabated corruption, and plunder of tens of billions of public money.

A white paper prepared by an independent group of experts documented this mind-boggling corruption.

"The misrule of the Awami League government culminated in the killings of over a thousand peaceful young protesters during the student-led July uprising, which forced the dictator, Sheikh Hasina, and her cronies, including the former MP quoted in the report, to flee the country," according to the statement.

The interim government of Bangladesh re-established the rule of law to ensure justice for every citizen of the country, including the victims of Awami League's misrule.

Quoting former Hasina's former minister AKM Mozammel Haque, The Indian Express reported that no attempt has been made to recover the thousands of small arms that were looted from the police stations in August, 2024.

The police headquarters has reported that of the 5,750 arms looted from police stations on 5 August and the next two days, when there was no government in the country, at least 4,358 arms were recovered, and efforts are underway to recover the rest.

The Indian Express did not seek the comment of any authorities from Bangladesh, which signaled its intent to carry out a propaganda campaign against the interim government of Bangladesh and the people of the country, the statement read.​

 

[Saif]

Govt rejects claims of communal violence, calls for responsible reporting

The interim government has expressed concern over what it calls "misleading propaganda" portraying routine crimes-such as thefts, muggings, and personal disputes-as communal violence, said Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam. Responding to a claim by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Ch

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Govt rejects claims of communal violence, calls for responsible reporting
UNB
Published :
Feb 03, 2025 21:59
Updated :
Feb 03, 2025 21:59

The interim government has expressed concern over what it calls "misleading propaganda" portraying routine crimes-such as thefts, muggings, and personal disputes-as communal violence, said Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.

Responding to a claim by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council that 23 people were killed in communal violence over the past four and a half months, Alam rejected the allegations, stating that the government does not support any form of violence.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy on Monday, he urged all sides to be more responsible, warning that such misinformation could destabilise communal harmony in the country.

The Unity Council, in a press conference last Thursday, claimed that 23 people had been victims of communal violence since the mass uprising.

Taking the claim seriously, the Prof Muhammad Yunus-led government instructed the police to investigate each case and report on the causes and legal actions taken.

Police investigations confirmed details of 22 out of the 23 reported incidents. However, they found no evidence linking them to communal violence. According to police findings:

​

• Seven cases were related to theft and robbery.​
• Four stemmed from personal and family disputes.​
• Three involved rape, excessive drinking, or fights over sarcastic remarks.​
• Two were accidental deaths.​
• Two resulted from business enmity.​
• One stemmed from a conflict between locals.​
• One was a land dispute.​
• One case remains unspecified.​

Besides, one case involved a man who succumbed to injuries from an incident in January last year and died in December. The cause of one suicide and another death is yet to be determined, but neither is linked to communal violence.

So far, 47 people have been arrested in connection with these incidents, and investigations are ongoing. Of them, 17 have given confessional statements under Section 144, Alam said.​