Diplomacy – Page 22 – South Asian Correspondent

December 9, 2024

Bangladesh-India high-level meeting for the first time since the fall of Sheikh Hasina on Monday

Bangladesh and India are holding a high-level meeting for the first time since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. The…

December 7, 2024

Maldives President Visits India To Reforge Diplomatic Ties

Maldivian president Mohammed Muizzu started a five-day visit to India looking to reforge diplomatic ties and for economic support. The…

After former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned in the face of anti-discrimination student movements and left for India, an interim government led by Nobel laureate economist Dr. Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh on August 8. Since then, fake news about Bangladesh has been spreading in the Indian media. At least 49 Indian media outlets have spread at least 13 fake news stories from August 12 to December 5. This information was given in a report on Thursday by international fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner. The report said that after the fall of the Awami League government, rumors have been spread one after another about Bangladesh in the Indian media. At least 13 fake news stories have been found to have been spread in the Indian media from August 12 to December 5 after the change of state power. At least 49 Indian media outlets have appeared in the list of fake news spreaders. Out of these, Republic Bangla has spread the most rumors with 5. Hindustan Times, Zee News and Live Mint are next. They have published 3 rumors each. Besides, India Today, ABP Anand and Aaj Tak have spread 2 rumors each. The remaining 41 media outlets have spread at least one rumor each. These rumors included- fake open letter in Sheikh Hasina's name after her resignation, spreading a video of a Muslim man forming a human chain in search of his missing son claiming that it was a Hindu, fake news of Dr. Muhammad Yunus being admitted to the ICU, baseless claims of lifting the ban on banned militant organizations in Bangladesh, fake claims of Dr. Yunus fleeing to France after Trump's victory, false claims of bringing weapons through Pakistani ships, spreading the name of slain lawyer Saiful Islam as Chinmoy Krishna's lawyer, rumors of Indian channels being shut down in Bangladesh, spreading a video of Indian idol immersion claiming that Hindu temple idols were vandalized due to attacks by Muslims in Bangladesh, false information about an attack on a Shyamoli Paribahan bus, fake claims of an attack on Chinmoy Krishna's lawyer and misleading news of a UK travel warning stating that there may be a militant attack in Bangladesh. After being ousted from power on August 5 and taking refuge in India, a report spread in the Indian media claiming that Sheikh Hasina had written an open letter to the people from Delhi and blamed the US for her ouster. However, it is known that Sheikh Hasina had not written any such letter. Investigation revealed that this letter was first circulated on Facebook and later published in the print edition of the Agartala-based Indian daily 'Tripura Bhabhas' with a date. After that, the screenshot of the newspaper was widely shared on social media and later it was also circulated in some media outlets in India and Bangladesh. After August 5, a video was circulated in various Indian media outlets, claiming that a Hindu man was forming a human chain demanding the search for his missing son. However, investigation revealed that the man was actually a Muslim and his name was Babul Howlader. He had formed a human chain in search of his missing son in 2013. On August 8, an interim government was formed with Dr. Muhammad Yunus as the chief advisor. Indian media claimed that Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government, was admitted to the ICU after falling ill. Along with this claim, a picture of a person undergoing treatment in a hospital was also published. However, investigation revealed that the picture is not of Dr. Yunus. The picture is not recent or from Bangladesh. In fact, Dr. Yunus is healthy. Indian media claimed that after the change in the political landscape of Bangladesh, sanctions have been lifted on several banned militant organizations in Bangladesh. However, investigation did not find any truth in this claim. This false claim was circulated in Indian media without any reliable information and evidence. On November 5, Republican candidate Donald Trump won the 47th presidential election of the United States. After Trump's victory, a claim spread in Indian media that Dr. Muhammad Yunus had fled to France. However, investigation revealed that this claim was false. The picture of the plane used as evidence of the escape was taken on August 8 when Dr. Yunus returned to Bangladesh from France. After independence, on November 13, for the first time, a ship carrying containers directly from Karachi, Pakistan, anchored at Chittagong Port. In this regard, Indian media claimed that the military ship named 'Swat' of Pakistan, which had brought weapons and ammunition to Chittagong Port during the Liberation War in 1971, has reached Chittagong Port again. It was also claimed that weapons are being brought to Bangladesh from Pakistan on that ship. However, a search by the Rumor Scanner did not find any truth to these claims. The name of the ship is 'MV Yuan Xian Fa Zhong', it is a commercial ship and raw materials and consumer goods for industry have been brought through it. On November 25, DB Police arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jote, from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on charges of insulting the national flag. The next day, on November 26, he was produced before the Chittagong Court and his bail was rejected. Then, when tension arose in the court premises, an attempt was made to take Chinmoy to jail in a prison van. At that time, when his followers started protesting, the police and BGB lathicharged and hurled sound grenades to disperse the protesters. In the clash, Chittagong District Court lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was killed. Indian media claimed that Saiful Islam was killed because he was Chinmoy's lawyer. But this claim is not correct. It is not Saiful Islam, but Chinmoy's lawyer Subhashish Sharma. Some Indian media claimed that the broadcasting of Indian satellite channels has been stopped in Bangladesh. However, the investigation by Rumor Scanner showed that the channels are still operational. At the same time, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh confirmed the Rumor Scanner that the matter was a rumor. Some Indian media claimed that the Bangladesh Air Force will build Asia's second largest air base near Chicken Neck with technical assistance from China. However, Rumor Scanner's investigation revealed that this claim is completely false. Lalmonirhat airport has been closed for 6 decades and no initiative has been taken to resume its operations. Recently, a video of Muslims attacking a Hindu temple in Bangladesh and vandalizing idols went viral on the internet. This claim was also circulated in some Indian media. However, investigation revealed that the video is not in Bangladesh, but a scene of idol immersion in Khandaghosh Sultanpur village in East Burdwan district of India. The video is not related to the attack on a Hindu temple in Bangladesh. Some Indian media outlets reported a collision between a Shyamoli Paribahan bus and a Bangladeshi truck on the Dhaka-Agartala-Dhaka route in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh. It was also claimed that the locals threatened to kill the Indian passengers on the Shyamoli Paribahan bus and shouted anti-India slogans. However, investigation revealed that there is no truth to these claims. The accident was not intentional, but mainly caused by overtaking. Various rumors were spread about the photo of a person undergoing treatment in the hospital in connection with the arrest of Chinmoy Das. It was claimed that the person was Ramen Roy, who is Chinmoy Krishna Das' lawyer. It was also said that Muslims vandalized his house and attacked him and admitted him to the ICU. However, investigations revealed that Ramen Roy is not Chinmoy Das' lawyer and has no connection with the case. In fact, Ramen Roy was injured in an attack by miscreants during a program of Sanatan Dharma followers against Chinmoy Das' arrest in Shahbagh on November 25. However, no news or evidence of vandalism was found. Some Indian media outlets have circulated information claiming that the UK has issued a travel warning stating that a terrorist attack could occur in Bangladesh at any time. However, the UK has issued the same travel warning for many countries around the world, including India, Indonesia, Germany, Spain, Sri Lanka, France, and many others, for a long time. Therefore, the campaign about Bangladesh alone is misleading. Besides, when the UK generally issues a travel warning for a region, it applies to everyone. This time, a special alert has been issued in the Chittagong Hill Tracts due to violence, but no such special alert has been imposed in other districts of the country. In addition, according to the UK travel warning, the possibility of terrorist attacks is higher in countries like India, France, Germany, Russia, the United States, and Pakistan than in Bangladesh. Source: Rumor Scanner

December 7, 2024

Modi’s BJP says US State Department targeting India

The accusation comes as a surprise as New Delhi and Washington have forged a strong relationship in the last two…

December 7, 2024

Indian Foreign Secretary to visit Dhaka

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri will visit Bangladesh on December 9. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaswal confirmed this…

December 5, 2024

Kolkata doctors say there won’t be any discrimination against Bangladeshi patients

“As doctors, we do not see the community, religion, or nationality of patients. They are all equal. We will continue…

December 4, 2024

New York Times Report: Bangladesh-India once friendly relations are now bitter

The influential American daily The New York Times (NYT) believes that the once friendly relations between the two South Asian…

December 2, 2024

Attack on Embassy in Agartala: Bangladesh is angry, India expresses regret

Indian miscreants attacked and vandalized the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, India. The attack was carried out on Monday…

December 2, 2024

Chinmoy Das’ arrest is being misinterpreted, Bangladesh at UN forum

Bangladesh has said that the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jote, is…

December 1, 2024

Indian media’s statements are harmful to healthy relations: Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser

Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser Md. Towhid Hossain has said that India needs to address Bangladesh’s long-standing concerns to improve bilateral…

December 1, 2024

’Bangladesh government responsible for protecting lives of all citizens’

India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh has said that it is the responsibility of the Bangladesh…