Hindutva groups spread misinformation to fuel anti-Muslim sentiments amid Bangladesh unrest
New Delhi: Hindutva groups in India are intensifying efforts to stoke anti-Muslim sentiments by disseminating false and misleading reports about attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
According to Kashmir Media Service, this surge in misinformation comes in the wake of significant political turmoil in Bangladesh, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a pro-India leader, was forced to resign following mass protests and violence across the country. The protests began in early July against a quota system that reserved over half of all government jobs for certain groups. The unrest later escalated into wider calls for the resignation of Hasina. Millions of Bangladeshis flooded the streets of the capital Dhaka to celebrate Hasina’s resignation.
In a bid to exploit the situation, these Hindutva groups have been circulating unrelated videos and fabricated stories of violence, including allegations of rape, attacks, and arson, falsely attributing them to the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh. The misinformation campaign has included provocative claims against Muslims and Islam.
BJP MLA Nitesh Rane from Maharashtra made inflammatory remarks against Bangladeshis in India, using the phrase “chun chunk kay marenge.” He later deleted the post after significant backlash.
Prominent fact-checker Mohammed Zubair has exposed several instances of misinformation. For example, videos of gang rapes that occurred in Bengaluru in 2021 were falsely presented as recent incidents in Bangladesh. One such video, shared by Deepak Sharma, falsely claimed that a Dalit woman was raped multiple times during protests in Bangladesh, accompanied by inflammatory remarks.
Pro-Hindutva accounts on social media have been particularly active in spreading these falsehoods. A video from Bengaluru was misleadingly tagged as depicting recent violence in Bangladesh, and other posts falsely claimed that Hindu individuals were raped and burned alive in Rangpur, an allegation refuted by fact-checker Sohanur Rahman.
Further, some accounts claimed that a temple in Bangladesh was set on fire, when in reality, the fire occurred in a shop adjacent to the temple. Local resident Sanjoy Deb confirmed that the temple itself was unharmed.
Another video circulated by pro-Hindutva handles falsely depicted the lynching of an elderly Hindu man in Bangladesh. However, it was later verified that the victim was Shahidul Islam, an Awami League leader.
This campaign of misinformation not only aims to create a false narrative but also seeks to inflame sectarian tensions within India. Fact-checkers and social media users are calling for vigilance and correction of these misleading reports to prevent further escalation of communal discord.
