What are the 13 fake reports published by the Indian media since 12 Aug

Independent fact-checking organisation Rumor Scanner today (6 December) published a report debunking 13 false and misleading news reports about Bangladesh published by 49 Indian media outlets.

The topic of the fake reports - published between 12 August to 5 December - ranges from attacks on minorities to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

In a report published on its website today (6 December), Rumor Scanner said, "An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team found that between August 12 and 5 December, 13 false reports were published in Indian media. A total of 49 Indian media outlets were identified for spreading these fake news stories."

Among the Indian outlets that spread the fake reports, Republic Bangla led the list, broadcasting five rumours.

"Hindustan Times, Zee News, and Live Mint followed closely, each spreading three rumours. Additionally, Republic, India Today, ABP Anand, and Aaj Tak each broadcast two rumours," the report stated.

The remaining 41 media outlets each broadcasted one rumour. These are: Asian News International (ANI), NDTV, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, Firstpost, OpIndia, Free Press Journal, Mirror Now, India.Com, Times of India, RT_India, Sangbad Pratidin, Zee 24, ThePrint,  The Statesman, WION, Oneindia, CNN-News18, The Wire, Financial Express, Ei Muhurte, Mathrubhumi, News9, Calcutta News, Headlines Tripura National, Times Now, The Wall, News 24, Puber Kalom, The Tribune, NE India Broadcast, Business Standard, TV9, Lokmat Times, PTC News, NewsX, The Tatva, Swarajya, NewsBytes, Vibes Of India, Bartaman.

Read about the fake reports here:

1) Sheikh Hasina's fake open letter: Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on 5 August in the face of a mass uprising. Soon after, she allegedly issued an open letter claiming the United States was behind her ouster. Her claim was widely published by the Indian media.

"However, it was later revealed that Sheikh Hasina had not issued any such letter. An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team found that the letter first spread on Facebook and was later published with a date in the print edition of the Agartala-based daily Tripura Bhobishyot. 

"Following this, screenshots of the letter were widely shared on social media and later broadcast by several media outlets in both India and Bangladesh," Rumor Scanner said.

2) Fake Hindu man searching for son: After the fall of the Awami League regime in August, various Indian media outlets published a video claiming that a Hindu man was holding a human chain to search for his missing son.

However, a Rumor Scanner investigation identified the man as Babul Howlader, a Muslim.

"His son has been missing since 2013, and the human chain was organised in an effort to find him," stated the fact-checking organisation.

3) False report on CA Yunus' hospitalisation: Soon after Muhammad Yunus-led interim government took charge on 8 August, Indian media outlets claimed that the Nobel laureate had fallen ill and was admitted to the ICU. The reports contained a photo of a patient receiving treatment in a hospital.

A Rumor Scanner investigation has revealed that the "photo was not of Dr Yunus. In fact, it was neither recent nor from Bangladesh. Dr. Yunus is, in fact, in good health."

4) False claim about lifting ban on militant orgs: After the interim government took charge, Indian media outlets falsely claimed that bans on several banned militant organisations had been lifted.

"However, an investigation by the Rumor Scanner team found no truth to this claim. The false assertion was circulated in Indian media without any reliable information or evidence to support it," Rumor Scanner said.

5) False claim on CA Yunus fleeing country: After Donald Trump emerged victorious in the 5 November US Presidential election, Indian media published a false report that Muhammad Yunus had fled to France. 

"The photo used as evidence of his escape was actually taken on 8 August, when Dr Yunus was returning from France to Bangladesh," Rumor Scanner said debunking the Indian media reports.

6) Fake reports on arms smuggling from Pakistan: On 13 November, for the first time since independence, a container-carrying ship docked at the Chattogram port directly from Karachi, Pakistan. Indian media outlets claimed that the ship was the same Pakistani military vessel, "Swat", which had brought arms and ammunition to the port city during the 1971 Liberation War.

The reports further alleged that the ship was carrying weapons from Pakistan to Bangladesh. 

Debunking the Indian media reports, Rumor Scanner said the ship's name was MV Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan, a commercial vessel that brought industrial raw materials and consumer goods to Bangladesh.

7) False reports on murdered Advocate Saiful being Chinmoy Krishna's lawyer: On 26 November, Chattogram District Court Advocate Saiful Islam Alif was killed during a protest over the jailing of Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari. 

Indian media outlets falsely claimed that Saiful Islam was murdered because he was Chinmoy's lawyer.

"However, this claim was incorrect. Chinmoy's lawyer was Subhashish Sharma, not Saiful Islam," states Rumor Scanner.

8) Falsely claiming ban on Indian channels: Indian media outlets recently published reports claiming that the broadcasts of Indian satellite channels had been shut down in Bangladesh.

Debunking the reports, Rumor Scanner stated the Indian channels were still operational in Bangladesh. "Both the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh confirmed to the Rumor Scanner that the claim was a false rumour," it said.

9) False report on building airbase in Chicken Neck: Recently, several viral posts on social media and across the internet claimed that the Bangladesh Air Force will construct Asia's second-largest airbase near the "Chicken Neck" with technical assistance from China. Several Indian media also published reports on the false claims.

"The Lalmonirhat airport has been closed for over six decades, and there have been no recent initiatives to resume its operations," said Rumor Scanner.

10) Fake video on Muslims attacking Hindu temple: Recently, a video falsely claiming that Muslims in Bangladesh attacked a Hindu temple and vandalised idols spread online. This claim was also promoted by some Indian media outlets.

Rumor Scanner found that the video was not from Bangladesh but from the village of Sultanpur in East Burdwan district, India, showing a scene of idol immersion. "The video was unrelated to any attacks on Hindu temples in Bangladesh."

11) Claiming accident as attack on bus: Some Indian media outlets falsely portrayed a recent collision between a Shyamoli Paribahan bus, which had Indian passengers, and a Bangladeshi truck on the Dhaka-Agartala-Dhaka route in Brahmanbaria, as an attack on the bus.

The Transport Minister of the Indian state of Tripura, Sushant Chowdhury, also shared this claim in a post on his Facebook page, which has been widely circulated among Indian Facebook users. 

According to these reports, the truck allegedly collided deliberately with the Shyamoli Paribahan bus in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh. Furthermore, the report claimed that local residents later threatened to kill the Indian passengers on the bus, and various anti-India slogans were allegedly raised in front of them.

Debunking the claims, Rumor Scanner said, "The accident occurred due to overtaking, not intentionally, and there was no evidence of any threats or anti-India slogans."

12) Another fake report on Chinmoy Das' lawyer: Several Indian media outlets spread rumours centring on the arrest of Chinmoy Das. The reports, containing the picture of a man under treatment at a hospital, the reports falsely claimed the man in the image was Ramen Roy. The reports also claimed Ramn was Chinmoy Krishna Das's lawyer and that Muslims attacked him and his house.

Rumor Scanner debunked the claims, stating that Ramen Roy was not Chinmoy Das's lawyer, nor was he involved in the case. "In fact, Ramen Roy was injured during an attack by miscreants at a programme organised by Sanatan Hindus in Shahbagh on 25 November. There were no reports or evidence of his house being vandalised."

13) Misinformation on UK travel alert: Recently the United Kingdom issued a travel alert to its citizen to avoid Chittagong Hill Tracts due to ongoing violence.

However, some Indian news outlets claimed that the UK had issued a travel advisory warning of potential terrorist attacks in Bangladesh. 

"The travel advisory was not specific to Bangladesh but was part of a broader alert that also included countries such as India, Indonesia, Germany, Spain, Sri Lanka, France, and others," said Rumor Scanner. 

Pointing out that typically, UK travel advisories apply to all travellers and are not region-specific, it said, "While a specific warning was issued for the Chittagong Hill Tracts due to ongoing violence, no such advisory was issued for other areas of Bangladesh."

Additionally, Rumor Scanner noted that the UK's advisory indicated that the risk of terrorist attacks was considered higher in countries like India, France, Germany, Russia, the USA, and Pakistan compared to Bangladesh.