Indians overreacting to faux information, says Bangladeshi media

Is Bangladesh turning into extra like India, the place minorities are below assault? Not but, thank God, declare the Bangladeshi media. Nevertheless, the strained relationship between the 2 international locations over the alleged persecution of Hindu minorities is taking its toll.

Even because the BJP and the RSS plan to march to the Bangladesh Excessive Fee in New Delhi subsequent week to protest, forcing Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal to fall in step, enterprise in Kolkata has taken successful.

With travellers from Bangladesh–tourists, college students, visa-seekers, sufferers, merchants and consumers—turning right into a trickle, companies from lodges to hospitals in West Bengal are feeling the pinch.

Bangladeshis are upset over what they describe as ‘a great deal of disinformation’ within the Indian media. They’re additionally offended over Indians vandalising the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala, a couple of medical doctors in Kolkata declaring that they might refuse to deal with Bangladeshis and some lodges in Tripura and Kolkata declaring that they might cease accepting Bangladeshi Muslims as visitors.

They declare that photographs exhibiting disrespect to the Indian flag are faux and manipulated through the use of AI. They’re confounded, if considerably amused, by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee calling for a UN peacekeeping pressure to be deployed in Bangladesh. They’re additionally incensed on the each day dose of lectures emanating from India telling Bangladesh how one can shield the members of the Hindu minority and the half-truths concerning the state of affairs in Bangladesh.

Even information associated to the arrest of ‘former’ ISKCON affiliate Chinmoy Das within the Indian media, alleged newspaper stories in Bangladesh, had been unverified. The information are that an FIR was filed for sedition in opposition to him in October by a BNP activist, after movies went viral concerning the alleged disrespect proven to the Bangladeshi nationwide flag at an occasion organised by Das.

He was arrested within the third week of November and produced earlier than the court docket, which despatched him to judicial remand. His attorneys and supporters are accused of clashing with the police and hacking an assistant public prosecutor, a Muslim lawyer, to demise.

Movies of the assault on the lawyer went viral and The Each day Star reported, “Carrying a machete, sporting a helmet with an orange t-shirt and black pants, the accused Chandan was seen hacking Saiful Islam Alif a number of instances in video footage that has circulated for the reason that incident. Police stated that after the homicide, he went into hiding.

Ripon Das was additionally seen carrying a pointy weapon, and sporting a purple helmet through the homicide. Police additionally registered three circumstances on cost of police assault, vandalism, and obstructing police personnel in discharging their duties through the three-way clashes between police, attorneys, and followers of Chinmoy Das that befell on 26 November.”

It was the brutal killing of the Muslim lawyer that provoked different attorneys in Chattogram to refuse to characterize the previous ISKCON affiliate. Whereas 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 spherical him.

A number of stories and editorial feedback within the Bangladeshi media have identified that opposite to stories carried by the Indian media, the interim authorities headed by Md Yunus has been stressing on unity and communal concord.

In an editorial touch upon Saturday, 7 December, the Dhaka Tribune had this to say, ‘…at a time when many with nefarious intentions are trying to destabilise the nation by portray it as a land unsafe for our minority populations, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus holding a dialogue with leaders from the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim communities, in addition to representatives from indigenous hill tribes, sends the highly effective message that we now have a authorities that’s all for celebrating the variety inside our nation….’

Barrister Rashna Imam from Dhaka instructed Karan Thapar in an interview that even minority group leaders in Bangladesh collaborating in speak exhibits have been debunking ‘Indian propaganda’. She claimed that assaults on each Hindus and Muslims had been principally triggered by politics and never by faith, that ire was being directed in opposition to the Awami League supporters, a lot of whom have gone into hiding.

Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India and her statements from there should not serving to quiet down the temperature in Bangladesh. The overwhelming public opinion has turned in opposition to India, she stated, and hoped that the go to of the Indian overseas secretary Vikram Misri to Dhaka on Monday, 9 December would assist take away misunderstandings.

The resignation this week of Dr Anupam Sen, an eminent sociologist, as vice chancellor of ‘Premier College’ in Chattogram is a living proof. Whereas the resignation will nearly actually be seen as one other occasion of persecution of Hindus, Dr Sen is just not the one one to resign following college students’ unrest demanding that he step down.

The professional-vice-chancellor Prof Kazi Shamim Sultana, the treasurer Prof Toufiq Syed and Proctor Ahmed Rajib Chowdhury moreover the director human useful resource Khurshidur Rahman additionally resigned on the identical day. Dr Sen has been the vice chancellor since 2006 after his retirement however he was apparently focused due to his alleged affiliation with the Awami League as an advisor.

Rumor Scanner, a fact-checking media organisation in Bangladesh has in the meantime compiled a listing of 13 faux stories disseminated by Indian media retailers since August. Whereas some Indian retailers claimed that Indian satellite tv for pc channels had been shut down in Bangladesh, the report was discovered to be incorrect.

Equally, a latest video circulated on-line, claiming that Muslims in Bangladesh had attacked a Hindu temple and vandalised idols, was discovered to be from Sultanpur village in East Burdwan district in West Bengal, depicting immersion of idols.