Dr. Md. Enamul Hoque :
Following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and fleeing to India, the country experienced widespread casualities which were generated from out of anger of mass people of all walks of people.
During this period, a significant number of fake social media posts emerged, particularly from India, falsely claiming that Hindus in Bangladesh were facing severe persecution. BBC Bangla conducted an investigation and verified many of these posts, discovering that most of them were fabricated.
Their analysis revealed that numerous misleading claims were being spread, contributing to misinformation and tension in the region. Not only was misinformation spread on social media, but some Indian TV channels and portals also created news reports based on those social media rumors.
It is a fact that some attacks on Hindus did occur.
In many instances, the attacks were directed at Awami League leaders and supporters, with political affiliation often taking precedence over religious identity. Both Hindu and Muslim leaders from the Awami League were targeted, as confirmed by those who fled or attempted to flee to India. The houses and property, business of some Awami League leaders both from Hindu and Muslim communities were attacked irrespective of religions.
However, fact-checkers observed that these politically motivated attacks were misrepresented from India, where they were framed as communal violence rather than political reaction against facism of Hasina Regime. Fact is- Awami league was targetted not Hindus as minorty. Although some incidents of attacks on Hindu homes did occur, the individuals affected were largely linked to the Awami League.
Following the widespread violence and the killing of protesters by the police appoined by Sheikh Hasina, it was no surprise that opposition members and protesters grew furious when Sheikh Hasina fled the country. During this period, police were largely absent across Bangladesh due to their moral breakdown. During last 15 years, police forces were appointed from the Awami league families.
The awami-partisan police force was employed to tyrannize and suppress the political oppositions. Therefore, when Sheikh Hasina Fled to India, the police force became inactive, and observed the changed situation. Those police never tried to protect the houses and properies of Awami League leaders, whoever they were muslims or Hidus.
Since people are seriously annoyed against Awami League leaders and supporters, as a result, homes of Awami League leaders and supporters became targets for attack. Additionally, it was noted that ordinary citizens were also subjected to looting, with some falling victim to acts of violence as well.
If Hindus had been under attacked, it happened because of their connection with facist Awami Leage, and involvement of corruption, and misuse of power. The attacks were not communal, those were completly political.
It was also reported in the media that some attacks occured on temples, which was perpetrated by miscreants and Awami League leaders and supporters to turnish the image of the country after Sheikh Hasina’s fall on August 5. Despite this, a misleading narrative has been constructed to suggest widespread communal riots in Bangladesh, which is entirely untrue. Most of the accounts spreading this misinformation are located in India.
Amid a turbulent situation, certain far-right Indian influencers capitalized on the chaos by circulating misleading videos, creating the false impression that Hindus in Bangladesh were under attack. At the same time, rumors spread that labeled student protesters as “Islamic extremists,” further inflaming tensions.
This kind of misinformation can dangerously deepen divides, especially in contexts where student movements and political unrest already exist in different places.
It underscores how quickly narratives can be manipulated to serve different agendas, causing widespread confusion and anxiety.
It clear that the majority of accounts responsible for these trending posts were based in India. Bangladeshi fact-checkers found similar results-false claims about attacks on Hindus were primarily spread by various Indian accounts.
Two additional viral posts spread false information, alleging that Hindus were attacked. However, it was discovered that the victims were actually Muslim Awami League leaders.
These posts were initially shared by right-wing Indian accounts and later amplified with the hashtag #SaveBangladeshiHindus by verified Hindutva supporters. In another viral video, it was falsely claimed that an “Islamic mob” attacked a Hindu village, showing a man swimming in a pond to escape. The fact-checkers revealed that the man in the video was actually Muslim.
Furthermore, a video falsely claimed that a student had been kidnapped. In another incident in Noakhali, it was alleged that a Hindu woman was abducted for a ‘gang rape.’ In reality, the woman had been living with her parents after separating from her husband. However, her ex-husband, along with some friends, forcibly took her away.
Not only Indian media, the political leaders of BJP, indian cultural activists took part in this hienous activities to defame Bangladeshss image and the communal harmony and to exploit the situation by spreading disinformation about the persecution of religious minorities, further deepening divisions within the country as it works to recover. The misleading activities, no doubt, aims at destabilizing the new Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasinas’s fleeing to India
(The writer is educational researcher and teacher educator).