A total of 86 eminent individuals, including poets, writers, journalists, and university professors, have written an open letter to Indian media outlets, protesting the spread of misinformation and propaganda regarding the student quota reform movement and the subsequent uprising that toppled the Awami League government on August 5.
In the letter, written on Tuesday, these individuals demanded an end to the dissemination of misinformation, accountability, and apologies to the Bangladeshi protesters.
The letter states:
“We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned that the majority of Indian media outlets are spreading misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda about the recent mass uprising in Bangladesh and the developing situation.
Most Indian media has falsely depicted the mass uprising in Bangladesh as a conspiracy orchestrated by the opposition parties, Islamic militants, and Western powers. These claims by media outlets— backed mainly by the Indian ruling party or government—are baseless.
The student-led uprising transformed from an anti-discrimination demand to the resignation of Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic government following mass murders that she ordered against peaceful protesters.
Indian media outlets like Republic TV, Zee News, News 18 India, NDTV, and many others have ignored the death and devastation caused by armed forces and the then-ruling party’s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), including the killing of over 300 students, 32 of whom were children, and 10,000 arrests.
Additionally, among the injured, 68 per cent of the protesters had to undergo major eye surgeries.
Under Sheikh Hasina’s totalitarian regime, people in Bangladesh were living in fear and survived corruption, economic inequity, and violent crackdowns by the ruling party and state. In the recent past, peaceful mass protests against the regime faced state-led violence and mass killings.
The 2024 uprising was fuelled by the brutal murders by security forces between July 15 and 18, which then continued until August 5, when Sheikh Hasina fled to India, and general frustration due to high inflation, unemployment, and corruption.
After Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, vandalism occurred, but it was perpetrated mainly by the mobs, not led by student protesters. There is no evidence linking the student movement to mob violence; in fact, the student leaders have repeatedly called to protect all public and private property, particularly the places of worship of religious minorities.
Indian media has ignored these developments. Instead, they have amplified misinformation and disinformation already available online. Much of the disinformation and misinformation used by many Indian media outlets are created and spread by pro-India state supporters, as research suggests.
They have also based their narrative on the lies of Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Furthermore, Indian media has wrongfully accused the movement of fostering a communal violence, ignoring evidence that local madrasas and students protected places of worship for Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists.
People of Bangladesh view this pro-democratic uprising as their second liberation struggle, with deep respect for the martyrs. Irresponsibly, Indian journalists like Arnab Goswami, Rubi Liyakot, and Rajat Sharma have mislabeled the protesters as radical Islamists and hoodlums, creating unnecessary tensions between India and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is striving to transform its electoral and constitutional systems that Sheikh Hasina’s fascist regime has been destroyed.
India’s support is crucial for maintaining strong diplomatic and trade ties in this crisis.
We demand that these Indian media outlets stop running propaganda and misinformation campaigns, acknowledge their dissemination of unfounded information, and apologize to the brave Bangladeshi protesters.”
Signatories
