Rumor Scanner Bangladesh, a fact-checking platform based on Facebook and YouTube, is shutting a Facebook group (https://web.facebook.com/groups/rumorscannercommunity/) with the same name as "it is at stake for identifying rumors by Indians."
A moderator of the Rumor Scanner Bangladesh public group on the Meta platform disclosed the decision on Saturday.
"This group of rumor scanners will be closed, join the new group for factcheck requests. Rumor Scanner`s official group is in jeopardy as several posts of rumors spread by Indians have been flagged for violation by Facebook," he wrote in the group.
"Therefore, there will be no posts in this group temporarily. Information on our backup group will be posted in this group in the next few days. In the next few months, all our activities will be carried out in the backup group called রিউমর স্ক্যানার বাংলাদেশ," he added.
The moderator also urged all to join the new Facebook group.
Officially launched on March 17, 2020, Rumor Scanner Bangladesh currently has 147,300 members.
Senior fact-checker and moderator of the platform, Shohanur Rahman, when contacted by thereport.live, said, "Two of our fact-check group posts addressing Indian communal propaganda were mistakenly removed by Facebook for violations, putting our group at risk of being disabled.
"One more violation might result in the loss of our group, which is why we have decided to temporarily stop posting fact-checks. We will continue fact-checking posts in our backup group," he said.
"In addition to our group, my profile is also at risk, and our official page is facing issues as well," he added.
Since the fall of the Awami League government, several media reports, including some by NDTV and ANI, and social media posts published from India claimed a wholesale attack on Hindus in Bangladesh. In reality, there have been a number of such attacks that prompted the interim government to take prompt actions amid protests, mainly in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad on August 9 reported 205 incidents of persecution of members of minority communities across 52 districts Hasina`s ouster.
A school teacher was killed and at least 45 people injured as homes, businesses, and temples of Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh were targeted last week, Reuters reported on Friday.
Hindus constitute about 8% of Bangladesh`s 170 million people and have historically supported Hasina`s Awami League party, which identifies as largely secular, instead of the opposition bloc that includes a hardline Islamist party.
Hundreds of Hindus living in Bangladesh have been trying to flee to India to escape the violence.
Hindu majority India, which has strong cultural and business ties with Bangladesh, has said it was worrying that minorities, their businesses and temples had been attacked in many places.
The rumors, falsehood
An X (formerly known as Twitter) account called Daily Latest Updates has posted a video claiming to be able an attack on the Nobogroho temple in Chittagong, with the hash tag #AllEyesOnBangladeshHindus and #BangladeshiHindus, according to Protom Alo.
The video has been shown on the Indian news outlet Republic TV’s official YouTube channel, the Banga daily reported on August 11. However, the online fact check and media research platform dismislab says, the matter of the Nobogroho temple being set on fire is not true.
The Times of India published a report on August 6, quoting senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari, who claimed that Hindus were being slaughtered in various parts of Bangladesh and more than one crore refugees were likely to enter West Bengal soon.
On August 7, Indian media outlet Republic Bangla published a story titled ‘Hindu Shunno Bangladesh Ashonka (Apprehension of a Hindu-free Bangladesh)’ suggesting that Hindu homes were targeted to drive minorities out of Bangladesh.
Mindless propaganda
The BBC`s fact-checking wing, BBC Verify, examining a number of posts, found that even though there have been attacks on minorities in Bangladesh since August 5 when Hasina fled to India, rumors of attacks were circulated.
Amid the chaos, ultra-right-wing influencers in India took the opportunity to share misleading videos, making it seem as though Hindus in Bangladesh were under attack.
Even he West Bengal Police, in a statement posted recently from its official Facebook page, stated that the way some local TV channels are reporting on the current situation in Bangladesh is clearly communally inflammatory and against the norms of the Press Council of India.
The West Bengal Police urged viewers to exercise their own judgement when viewing this type of coverage and keep in mind that the authenticity of the footage shown by the channel is not verified by any neutral third party. They requested people not to fall into the trap of one-sided, hateful and misleading propaganda.
German-based DW reported that during recent protests in Bangladesh, old images of rape and violent attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus had resurfaced online.
It said that, like its neighbour India, Bangladesh has a history of religious tensions between its Hindu and Muslim communities.
`Misinformation must stop`
Journalist Zillur Rahman in an article on August 11 said that the sudden upsurge in misinformation and disinformation on Indian social media coincidentally aligns with a seemingly coordinated rise in criminal activities and vandalism all over Bangladesh.
Inside the country, some people are also taking to social media and calling this another attempt by pro-AL forces in India, as well as RAW, to fabricate a narrative of communalism in order to plunge Bangladesh into further unrest and instability, he said.
"Needless to say, there is no evidence for any of this. Rumours beget rumours. This kind of misinformation treadmill needs to be stopped immediately lest it leads to further instances of violence, and makes the people-to-people divide between Bangladesh and India even worse," he feared.
Bangladesh committed to ensure Hindus` safety
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he received a phone call from the head of Bangladesh`s caretaker government, Muhammad Yunus, assuring New Delhi of the "protection, safety and security" of Hindus in that country.
Nobel Peace laureate Yunus, the head of the caretaker government in Dhaka, called Modi and assured him of the "protection, safety and security of Hindus and all minorities in Bangladesh", Modi said in a post on X.
"Reiterated India`s support for a democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh," Modi added.
Earlier on August 8, Modi in a message shared through his verified X handle said, "We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities."
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