The new face of disinformation in post-Hasina Bangladesh

On October 10, Chattogram Cultural Academy performed two songs at a Durga puja cultural event organized by the Chattogram Hindu community at JM Sen Hall.

Sajal Dutta, the joint general secretary of the Puja Celebration Commission, invited the academy. Six singers from the said academy sang the famous song ‘Age Ki Sundar Din Kataitam’ by Baul Samrat Abdul Karim and ‘Shudhu Mosalmaner Lagi Aseniko Islam’ written by Chowdhury Abdul Halim.

Although this incident, of a song about Islam sung on the occasion of Durga Puja, was widely criticized in Bangladesh, several posts on social media said that this never happened. Some even claimed that other songs were being sung, and an edited version was later released on social media to stir communal tensions.

Others claimed that the singers were forced to sing, while others said that the singers forced the organizers to let them on stage.

The Indian media did not miss a beat to jump on the story. Videos and news headlines such as “Lord Durga idol vandalized”, “Islamic songs played during Durga Puja festival in Bangladesh”, “Muhammad Yunus has imposed restrictions on Durga Puja celebrations”, “ Yunus orders Durga Puja break during Namaz”, “Durga Puja banned in post-Hasina Bangladesh?and many more.

After a case was filed against seven people (Sajjal Dutta and the six performers), the flow of such fake news stopped. Dutta has also been expelled from the committee.

The October 10 incident is just one example. Since Hasina’s ouster on August 5, the Awami League trope (Bangladeshi Hindus are safe under the regime) has been heavily armed.

In fact, there have been some attacks across the country against – ie the Hindu community – in August and beyond. This series of attacks resulted in two responses. One faction is trying to create an image of Bangladesh where Hindus are not safe (Indian media also played a key role in this) through hype and fear, and another is in total denial mode.

In doing so, both factions rely heavily on misinformation and disinformation. Let’s take a look at how the nature and spread of disinformation changed after Hasina’s impeachment.

The last decade

Misinformation and misinformation increased in Bangladesh during Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, especially in her second consecutive term starting in 2014. As more people used digital platforms for political discourse and general Internet access went spread across the country, it also increased the potential for disinformation and misinformation to spread. .

In 2017, BD Fact Check, a Facebook-based fact-checking platform, began debunking fake news and misinformation. Minhaj Aman, one of the country’s first fact-checkers, shared some examples from that time.

“Then the government had a coordinated disinformation network that used to spread well-thought and planned fake news that served their purpose. Hundreds of Facebook IDs and FB pages were used to spread this information.

There have been cases where a single fake news story was shared from 33 Facebook accounts in just six seconds. It was incredibly coordinated,” Minhaj recalled.

Minhaj is the current Principal Investigator of Dismislab, a fact-checking organization based in Dhaka.

Bangladesh under Hasina witnessed shrinking space for independent media with laws such as the Digital Security Act (2018), later known as the CSA.

This atmosphere led to state-driven narratives dominating much of the mainstream media, which he became more cautious about publishing news against the regime. At the same time, criticism of the government was also greatly reduced on social media platforms due to fear of the DSA Act.

The same platforms, then, saw the spread of various pro-government fake news.

Government-aligned sources such as the Center for Research and Information (CRI), the political opposition and private actors have been accused of spreading misinformation, sometimes to promote party agendas or distract from governance issues.

False information about economic progress or security threats was also used to manipulate the public.

Communal violence between Hindus and Muslims has always been one of the main weapons of disinformation. In October 2021, communal violence erupted in Cumilla when the image of the Holy Quran being desecrated spread everywhere, igniting the latest communal violence on this scale. Social media played a key role in the rapid spread of misinformation during that event.

Past and present: the mechanics of disinformation

In the post-Hasina regime, the model has changed.

“About two groups are spreading disinformation: there is a NRB (non-resident Bangladesh) team of the Awami regime, who are publishing and spreading this news from outside the country. The other group is trying to spread religious disinformation,” Minhaj added.

He continued, “During Hasina’s regime, these incidents (spread of misinformation resulting in communal violence) were mostly event-based, ie during major Hindu community pujas or celebrations. But now it is not of a season or of events. Almost every day after August 5 you will find someone posting about houses and temples being burned or destroyed,” Minhaj said.

Religious disinformation is being spread by targeting both Hindus and Muslims, tapping into religious sentiments and essentially weaponizing them. This widens the scope of communal tensions and violence, which Bangladesh is no stranger to.

Awami League supporters like Sushanta Das Gupta, Omi Rahman Pial etc. they have developed a new disinformation network for the Awami League, called the A team, according to Minhaj. They coordinate and publish the same thing at the same time. On October 19, they shared an alleged call log of interim government adviser Asif Nazrul; A few days ago, they tried to smear the government’s acting advisers as pro-Pakistan zealots.

Although they are not as strong as the Hasina government’s CRI, they are tryingdevelop a network. “After August 5, we saw an increase in protests and rallies by Muslim religious people in Bangladesh, and Islamist students and politicians came to the fore. This is something that the Indian media is gearing up to cover exaggerated news on their platforms,” Minhaj explained. .

Taking advantage of fears and uncertainty

According to Minhaj, Indian media is aggressively active now. Take the case of Taslima Nasreen, who relentlessly claimed that Mahfuj Alam, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser to the Interim Government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, is the leader of Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

Anandabazar Patrika, one of the leading newspapers in West Bengal, quoted Nasreen. Nasrin later shared a photo card from a Facebook page called Friday Post, which read: “Mahfuj Alam is the leader of the banned organization of Bangladesh Hizb ut-Tahrir – Anandabazar Patrika.”

He did not add a caption, implying that Mahfuj is the leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir is a fact, as it had been verified by a reputable media outlet like Anandabazar Patrika. Can you see the complicated cycle of information designed to deceive people?

India’s anti-Bangladesh sentiment packaged in misinformation saw a viral surge. Take for example the Twitter account called Baba Banaras which posts “Apparently over 500 Hindus killed, 100 Hindu women r@ped, scores of Hindu temples burnt in ongoing attacks by Jamaat terrorists- e-Islami in Bangladesh. Where are those Urduwoodiyas who cried for Gaza, Rafah and Palestine?”

Back home, on October 9, the fake news went viral in Socofficial media claimed that there had been a discussion between Dr. Yunus and army chief Waqar-uz-Zaman. A Facebook account named Yasmin Sultana Pollen probably started the rumor.

Fact-checking platforms like Rumor Scanner and Zoombangla.com debunked the story and found that most of the people spreading rumors and fake news are expats. Their Facebook activity also shows that they are followers of the Awami League.

In a volatile and vulnerable climate, with the wide reach of social media platforms, disinformation poses a deadly challenge. He can manipulate people and incite violence in a country that has recently suffered a bloody massacre.

An unstable political period can open opportunities for various factions to use disinformation as a tool for political gain.

According to Minhaj, in the current situation, there is a growing need for media literacy programs to help citizens critically evaluate information, especially in rural areas where Internet penetration is rapidly increasing. “It should be included in the school curriculum, now that young people have more access to the internet,” he said.

In addition, technology platforms such as Facebook and YouTube must be responsible for the content they host. Stronger moderation policies tailored to the Bangladeshi context are needed, as well as more investment in fact-checking by these platforms.

While this could lead to long-term benefits, Minhaj said: “For now, avoid sharing and consuming any content that makes you overly happy, angry or excited. These content are usually fake more than others.”