Bangladeshi fact-checking initiative Rumor Scanner has found that about 72 percent of social media accounts spreading fake and misinformation against Bangladesh are located in India.
The fact checking body today released a report titled "India's disinformation flood on Bangladesh: What's actually happening?", showing how Indian media, alongside social media, are regularly spreading false information about the Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 in 2024.
The report said, "In the wake of the student-led mass uprising in Bangladesh in August of this year, the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina fell. Before the current interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus took office on August 8, political attacks increased due to the stagnation of the administration and law enforcement agencies. At that time minorities were also affected".
However, the Rumor Scanner found through its investigations that 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.
X accounts operated from India and several Indian media outlets played a significant role in spreading these propagandas, it said
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 as these posts, disseminated between August 5th and 13th, were viewed over 15.4 million times.
The fact checking body estimates that these misinformations reached 10 to 12 times the number of people at that time on multiple other accounts and media.
The investigation unit has found: "72% of the accounts spreading fake and misinformation are located in India. Among the account holders, there are many responsible individuals. Even several mainstream media outlets in India have propagated this false information. This disinformation flood was so powerful that it was not confined to India; even well-known public figures from different countries have promoted these claims".
The spread of communal misinformation between India and Bangladesh is not new. However, fighting against such a large volume of disinformation in such a short time in August was quite challenging for Rumor Scanner.
"We worked tirelessly day and night. During this time, false information on various sensitive issues in Bangladesh has also spread beyond social media and reached the Indian media," it said.
For instance, several Indian media outlets claimed in August that bans on several banned extremist organizations had been lifted in Bangladesh. Rumor Scanner verified and found this claim to be false.
Days passed, and while the intensity of the misinformation decreased, it didn't entirely stop. Over the next few months, the same accounts, as well as many others, continued to spread misinformation related to Bangladesh. Communal misinformation was particularly noticeable.
Rumor Scanner noted that, "Every year, around the time of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival for Hindus, there is an increase in communal propaganda, misinformation, false information, and above all, rumors. This year was no exception".
The fact checking body's team has verified two such claims (1, 2) from Indian X accounts, which have been viewed at least 550,000 times.
After this issue, Indian media, alongside social media, regularly spread false information about the interim government.
"False claims such as Dr. Yunus's physical illness or Dr. Yunus fleeing to France after Trump's victory were widely propagated by the Indian media. Additionally, 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 individuals are different," the report said.
"On November 10, 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 program. This explosive claim, shared in posts reaching nearly 800,000 people, was proven false by Rumor Scanner," it added.
Additionally, 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, the investigation team found.
