India’s ‘March of Folly’ in Bangladesh
Fake news spread by online Hindutva trolls both reflects and influences New Delhi’s attitudes, heightening communal tension between the neighbors
My first encounter with India’s global Hindu nationalist online army of trolls, which began after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee during a popular uprising, opened my eyes to its tactics and methods.
India had long supported Hasina and reflexively agreed to provide her refuge when she departed Dhaka on short notice Aug. 5.
Soon after, New Delhi began to express concerns about alleged violence against Bangladesh’s Hindu minority since her departure. These assertions along with online disinformation continued despite a number of independent fact-checking groups challenging these reports.
Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s interim government leader, said he informed India that there had been some violence but denied it was communal.
The Yunus administration has reiterated its interest in maintaining good relations with India, but also expressed concern about the disinformation emanating from Indian sources.
Still, Indian media members – most of whom now ask “how high” when the Modi government asks them to jump – have amplified these concerns. And they have added charges that the Yunus government has empowered Islamic extremist forces in Bangladesh while cozying up to Pakistan.
