Rumor Scanner, a Bangladeshi fact-checking initiative, found through its investigations that X accounts operated from India and several Indian media outlets played a significant role in spreading propaganda against Bangladesh.

It said while many attacks occurred against those with Hindu religious identities due to their ‘political affiliations or grievances’, numerous incidents were falsely propagated as ‘communal attacks’.

Rumor Scanner identified false reports published in Indian media

Between August 5th and 13th, Rumor Scanner’s investigation unit identified 50 accounts on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) that had disseminated various images, videos and information related to the August events in Bangladesh, presenting them in a communal light.

Rumor Scanner found evidence of the propagation of communal misinformation and false information in at least one post from each of these accounts. These posts, disseminated between August 5th and 13th, were viewed over 15.4 million times.

Rumor Scanner’s investigation unit has found that 72% of the accounts spreading fake and misinformation are located in India.

Police on high alert to prevent rumors during Durga Puja Celebrations: IGP

Fighting against such a large volume of disinformation in such a short time in August was quite challenging for Rumor Scanner, it said.

During this time, false information on various sensitive issues in Bangladesh has also spread beyond social media and reached the Indian media.

It said several Indian media outlets claimed in August that bans on several banned extremist organisations had been lifted in Bangladesh which Rumor Scanner verified and found this claim to be false.

Over the next few months, the same accounts, as well as many others, continued to spread misinformation related to Bangladesh.

Rumor Scanner verified two such claims from Indian X accounts during Durga Puja,the biggest religious festival of Hindus, which have been viewed at least 550,000 times.

Indian media, alongside social media, regularly spread false information about the interim government.

False claims such as Dr Yunus’s physical illness or D Yunus fleeing to France after Trump’s victory were widely propagated by the Indian media.

Besides a false claim circulated on social media, where a man named Abdullah Al Mahfuz, who was arrested in 2019 as a Hizbut Tahrir leader in Chattogram, was falsely claimed to be Adviser Mahfuj.

Rumor Scanner confirmed that the two persons are different.

On November 10th, when the Awami League announced the commemoration of Shaheed Noor Hossain Day, a claim went viral on numerous X accounts stating that a Hindu woman was raped while participating in this programme.

This explosive claim, shared in posts reaching nearly 800,000 people, was proven false, said Rumor Scanner.

In November, an Indian television channel named ‘Republic Bangla’ falsely claimed that a Pakistani ship carrying weapons and ammunition had arrived at the Chittagong Port.

A renewed wave of disinformation began in late November after the arrest of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das on sedition charges.

This led to unrest, including the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam.

Indian media and X accounts, including those flagged by Rumor Scanner in August, drove this campaign, spreading posts rapidly due to their large followings.

Rumor Scanner’s analysis highlighted patterns in these campaigns: framing incidents involving Hindu victims as communal, misrepresenting political violence, and making unverified claims of extremist takeovers or atrocities against minorities.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) also contributed to this framing, with exaggerated claims debunked by investigations, including one by Netra News. For example, their report of nine communal killings was refuted as politically or criminally motivated.

Between August and December, Rumor Scanner detected 120 pieces of misinformation, with significant spikes in November.

Indian media, including 49 outlets, spread 13 false narratives about Bangladesh, aided by figures like BJP politicians Suvendu Adhikari and Agnimitra Pal, ex-cricketer Danish Kaneria, and Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin.

The misinformation on X alone has been viewed over 200 million times, with one post exceeding 10 million views.

While some incidents of communal violence in Bangladesh are genuine, the exaggerated portrayal of Hindu persecution distorts the reality, risking tensions between Bangladesh and India and threatening regional security.

Rumor Scanner warned of an increase in such campaigns in the future.