Indians overreacting to fake news, says Bangladeshi media

Is Bangladesh becoming more like India, where minorities are under attack? Not yet, thank God, claim the Bangladeshi media. However, the strained relationship between the two countries over the alleged persecution of Hindu minorities is taking its toll.

Even as the BJP and the RSS plan to march to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi next week to protest, forcing Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal to fall in step, business in Kolkata has taken a hit.

With travellers from Bangladesh--tourists, students, visa-seekers, patients, traders and shoppers—turning into a trickle, businesses from hotels to hospitals in West Bengal are feeling the pinch.

Bangladeshis are upset over what they describe as ‘loads of disinformation’ in the Indian media. They are also angry over Indians vandalising the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala, a few doctors in Kolkata declaring that they would refuse to treat Bangladeshis and a few hotels in Tripura and Kolkata declaring that they would stop accepting Bangladeshi Muslims as guests.

They claim that images showing disrespect to the Indian flag are fake and manipulated by using AI. They are confounded, if somewhat amused, by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee calling for a UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in Bangladesh. They are also incensed at the daily dose of lectures emanating from India telling Bangladesh how to protect the members of the Hindu minority and the half-truths about the situation in Bangladesh.

Even news related to the arrest of ‘former’ ISKCON associate Chinmoy Das in the Indian media, alleged newspaper reports in Bangladesh, were unverified. The facts are that an FIR was filed for sedition against him in October by a BNP activist, after videos went viral about the alleged disrespect shown to the Bangladeshi national flag at an event organised by Das.

He was arrested in the third week of November and produced before the court, which sent him to judicial remand. His lawyers and supporters are accused of clashing with the police and hacking an assistant public prosecutor, a Muslim lawyer, to death.

Videos of the assault on the lawyer went viral and The Daily Star reported, “Carrying a machete, wearing a helmet with an orange t-shirt and black pants, the accused Chandan was seen hacking Saiful Islam Alif several times in video footage that has circulated since the incident. Police said that after the murder, he went into hiding.

Ripon Das was also seen carrying a sharp weapon, and wearing a red helmet during the murder. Police also registered three cases on charge of police assault, vandalism, and obstructing police personnel in discharging their duties during the three-way clashes between police, lawyers, and followers of Chinmoy Das that took place on 26 November.”

It was the brutal killing of the Muslim lawyer that provoked other lawyers in Chattogram to refuse to represent the former ISKCON associate. While the Bangladesh chapter of ISKCON has distanced itself from Das, informing that it had expelled Das for disgraceful conduct, ISKCON chapters in India have rallied round him.

Several reports and editorial comments in the Bangladeshi media have pointed out that contrary to reports carried by the Indian media, the interim government headed by Md Yunus has been stressing on unity and communal harmony.

In an editorial comment on Saturday, 7 December, the Dhaka Tribune had this to say, '…at a time when many with nefarious intentions are attempting to destabilise the nation by painting it as a land unsafe for our minority populations, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus holding a discussion with leaders from the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim communities, as well as representatives from indigenous hill tribes, sends the powerful message that we now have a government that is all for celebrating the diversity within our nation....'

Barrister Rashna Imam from Dhaka told Karan Thapar in an interview that even minority community leaders in Bangladesh taking part in talk shows have been debunking ‘Indian propaganda’. She claimed that attacks on both Hindus and Muslims were mostly triggered by politics and not by religion, that ire was being directed against the Awami League supporters, many of whom have gone into hiding.

Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India and her statements from there are not helping cool down the temperature in Bangladesh. The overwhelming public opinion has turned against India, she said, and hoped that the visit of the Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri to Dhaka on Monday, 9 December would help remove misunderstandings.

The resignation this week of Dr Anupam Sen, an eminent sociologist, as vice chancellor of ‘Premier University’ in Chattogram is a case in point. While the resignation will almost certainly be seen as another instance of persecution of Hindus, Dr Sen is not the only one to resign following students’ unrest demanding that he step down.

The pro-vice-chancellor Prof Kazi Shamim Sultana, the treasurer Prof Toufiq Syed and Proctor Ahmed Rajib Chowdhury besides the director human resource Khurshidur Rahman also resigned on the same day. Dr Sen has been the vice chancellor since 2006 after his retirement but he was apparently targeted because of his alleged association with the Awami League as an advisor.

Rumor Scanner, a fact-checking media organisation in Bangladesh has meanwhile compiled a list of 13 fake reports disseminated by Indian media outlets since August. While some Indian outlets claimed that Indian satellite channels had been shut down in Bangladesh, the report was found to be incorrect.

Similarly, a recent video circulated online, claiming that Muslims in Bangladesh had attacked a Hindu temple and vandalised idols, was found to be from Sultanpur village in East Burdwan district in West Bengal, depicting immersion of idols.