Misinfo Report: False Claims on Bangladesh, Kolkata Case Dominate August

Of all the fact-checks published, 28.4% were "Communal" in nature, followed by "International Conflict" at 16.5%, primarily related to the unrest in Bangladesh, and 12.8% focused on "Indian politics."

Bangladeshi Muslims were the primary targets of misinformation, comprising 15.6% of the false claims. A prevalent trend observed by BOOM was the use of the hashtag #SaveBangladeshiHindus on social media, which was used to spread misinformation by sharing unrelated old videos and images, falsely linking them to the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh.

Mis/disinformation in 44% of the total fact-checks were peddled using old and unrelated videos.

Additionally, 47.7% of the total fact-checks involved claims that were shared by verified accounts on X. Among those who repeatedly spread false claims on their X accounts Sudarshan News and an X user named Jitendra Pratap Singh with four instances each.

We also fact-checked news channels such as Business Today, Onmanorama, Republic, Times Now Bangla and Zee News, ANI, for instances of media misreporting.

Communal disinformation spreads under “#SaveBangladeshiHindus” amid Bangladesh unrest

41.3% of the total fact-checks were related to the protests and political unrest in Bangladesh that erupted in July. These protests, sparked by students opposing quotas in government jobs and the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the country, have led to nearly 650 deaths. The unrest was accompanied by a surge of false claims, many of which were infused with communal narratives.

Mis/Disinformation in at least 36 fact-checks involved claims using the hashtag #SaveBangladeshiHindus or #BangladeshiHindus on X and other social media platforms. This hashtag was used to spread disinformation by sharing old or unrelated videos and images, falsely linking them to the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh. These false claims propagated communal narratives with misleading content.

For instance, a distressing video of a group of men forcefully carrying a woman and putting her into a vehicle in Bangladesh was circulating on social media with a misleading communal narrative.

The video was shared by multiple X handles and Facebook users, alleging that a Hindu minor girl was abducted by Muslims after her entire family was killed.

However, BOOM’s investigation revealed that the incident took place in Noakhali's Senbagh, a municipality in Bangladesh, where a man attempted to abduct his former wife. Locals confirmed that both the man and the woman are Hindu.

In another false claim, a video of a clash between anti-quota protesters and members of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League, at Jahangirnagar University, surfaced with misleading claims that it depicted a Hindu woman being gang-raped by "an Islamic mob".

The video, featuring dark and blurry visuals with overlaid audio of a song, circulated with captions alleging that the assault was live-streamed on Facebook. However, BOOM found that while the video was indeed streamed live on Facebook, it did not depict any sexual assault.

Similarly, a graphic video allegedly showing dead children in a house was widely circulated on social media, particularly on X, with claims that Hindus in Bangladesh are being attacked and killed in their own homes.

The video was shared using the hashtag "#SaveBangladeshiHindus." However, BOOM found that the viral video was originally filmed in Myanmar's Rakhine State in June 2024 and was not related to the unrest.

Regarding media misreporting on the political chaos in Bangladesh, news agency Asian News International (ANI) shared a video misidentifying an elderly man holding a poster of his missing son as a Hindu seeking justice for his child in Bangladesh.

Their post read: "Bangladesh: A member of the minority Hindu community protesting with a poster of his missing son says, 'I will give my life but I want justice for my child. Where is my child? I have been going from door to door to inquire about my child but no one is listening to me.'"

However, BOOM found that the man in the video is a Muslim, not a Hindu. Several Bangladeshi news outlets interviewed the protester, who identified himself as Babul Haoladar. He stated that he participated in the protest because his eldest son, Mohammed Sunny Haoladar, went missing during the Hasina regime in 2013.

The news agency later deleted their post and clarified that the person in the video is not from the minority Hindu community.

Kolkata rape-murder case

It has been nearly a month since the rape and murder of a 31-year-old medical student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, an incident that sparked widespread outrage across the country. Amidst the outcry, the internet was flooded with misinformation around the incident. False claims misrepresented evidence, while distorted videos with fabricated narratives were widely circulated, further sensationalising the tragic incident.

Misleading claims about the autopsy of the victim falsely stated that 150 mg of semen was found in her genitalia. This claim, reported by several news outlets, was cited as coming from the autopsy report. Some social media users further exaggerated the misinformation, claiming that 150 grams of semen was discovered.

However, BOOM reached out to Dr. JA Jaylal, former National President of the Indian Medical Association. Dr. Jaylal clarified that the "150m" mentioned in the autopsy report referred to the weight of the victim’s entire external and internal genitalia, not semen.

We also fact-checked a viral video falsely claiming to show the post-mortem scene of the victim, with allegations that a doctor performing the autopsy was seen crying. Upon verification, we found that the video was unrelated to the RG Kar incident and had been circulating online since early July this year.

In yet another instance of sensationalising the incident, a video of a makeup artist who had used makeup to create bruises on her face and neck as part of a dramatised recreation went viral, with false claims misidentifying her as the victim. But we found that this was not true.

Additionally, we fact-checked a fake letter that falsely claimed to be from an officer of Kolkata’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), supposedly addressed to the Union Home Ministry. The letter alleged political interference in the investigation and stated that the CBI sought to withdraw from the case. However, the CBI later debunked the letter through its official X handle, calling it fake.

Medium, Intent & Type of Deception

67% of the 119 fact-checks were shared via videos, followed by images (19.3%) and texts (13.8%).

Regarding the intent behind spreading mis/disinformation, 89% of the total fact-checks were under the “Sensationalist” category. This was followed by the intent of spreading “Demographic Anxiety” (5.5%) and “Smear Campaigns” against Indian political leaders (4.6%).

88.1% of the total fact-checks consisted of false content, followed by manipulated and fabricated content (3.7%).