A prominent civil society platform has called for immediately curbing the spread of online misinformation in Bangladesh, warning that the unchecked flow of false narratives poses a grave threat to national unity and security.

The call came at a discussion organised on Monday by Citizen’s Forum Bangladesh (CFB) titled “False Narratives, Propaganda and Disunity: Threats to Stability, National Security and Unity” where speakers outlined the alarming scale and speed at which disinformation is proliferating across social media platforms.

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Participants noted that deliberate misinformation campaigns have been particularly active during the country’s ongoing fuel crisis, periods of student political activity, and in the aftermath of elections.

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof Mamun Ahmed cautioned that university campuses have already been destabilised by coordinated disinformation. “If the spread of misinformation in university areas is not stopped, the country will become unstable once again. It is propaganda alone that has turned these campuses volatile.”

Mahfuz Kabir, Research Director at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), stressed the critical need for real-time counter-responses, warning that the current pace of institutional rebuttals is no match for the speed of disinformation.

Citing a recent false claim that Bangladesh Bank was printing money to fund the government, he said it took seven days to debunk the report – far too long. “In that prolonged interval, a large number of people had already accepted the fabrication as fact. We cannot afford such delays; misinformation must be countered instantly.”

Abidul Islam Khan, Joint General Secretary of Dhaka University unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, alleged that actors who previously operated covertly are now openly running propaganda campaigns.

“Those who once called us oppressed in July are now branding us oppressors. These are bot pages, systematically tarnishing our reputation,” he said, adding that sustaining legitimate political activity would become untenable if such propaganda is not swiftly curtailed

CFB Chairman M Anwarullah Chowdhury presided over the event, urging all stakeholders to reject falsehoods, embrace truth, and champion a culture of principled politics in the national interest.