OpIndia has been widely reporting how domestic and foreign players have been orchestrating and fueling anti-India narratives and sentiments in Bangladesh, especially after the violent ouster of the country’s elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Strikingly, a picture of an aide worker who is seen wearing a T-shirt with an anti-India message has surfaced on social media. Importantly, a Bangladeshi blogger and activist has confirmed the veracity of this picture.
Incidentally, the picture of the aide worker spreading hatred against India was taken somewhere in a flooded area in Bangladesh, at a time when notorious domestic and foreign players were falsely blaming India for the flash floods in the Islamic nation. In this picture which is now going viral on social media, an aide worker is seen wearing a white-colour T-shirt while distributing water bottles in flood-affected areas. The anti-India inscription written on the back of the T-shirt in Bengali reads, “আপনার সন্তানকে ভারত বিদ্ধেষী বানান!” which translates to “Make your child anti-India.”
On Sunday (1st September), Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen also shared this picture through her social media handles and pointed out how Bangladeshi Jamaat-e-Islami has been peddling anti-India sentiments in Bangladesh. She added that they have been making poor people wear this T-shirt which has an anti-India message written on it. “Teach your child to hate India,” she attributed the text written on the T-shirt saying. While she gave a slightly different translation, the underlying meaning is the same.
She wrote, “Bangladeshi Jamate Islami helping poor people wearing a t-shirt that says ‘teach your child to hate India.’ Islamists ask people to boycott Indian products. Anti India anti Hindu Wahabi Islamists are growing in Bangladesh (sic).”
Bangladeshi Jamate Islami helping poor people wearing a t shirt that says 'teach your child to hate India.' Islamists ask people to boycott Indian products. Anti India anti Hindu Wahabi Islamists are growing in Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/oWJmunIKID
— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) September 1, 2024
She also shared the picture on Facebook where a lot of users probed the veracity of the viral picture with one Bangladeshi citizen finally confirming its veracity, stating that the picture is true. In her FB post, Tasleema Nasreen asked, “Camp Relief Distribution Program! Found this picture. Authentic or fake?”
In the comment section of her post, some users alleged that the picture was fake as it had spelling errors. Reacting to their claims of spelling mistakes in the post, a few users replied that the mistakes rather proved that the anti-India message was real and not doctored as the one fabricating it would not make spelling mistakes to undo their fabrication efforts.
Responding to the spelling error claims, Nasreen replied, “So authentic. If the spelling was correct, it would rather be doubtful.”
However, a Bangladeshi blogger and Secular activist Asaduzzaman Noor confirmed the veracity of the picture and debunked the claim that the picture was fabricated by some IT-cell guys.
Commenting on her post, Noor said, “The picture is true.” It is important to note that Noor is a Bangladeshi blogger and activist and his FB account is a verified handle.
Furthermore, the same picture was also shared by a Bangladeshi digital content creator on 30th August. Falsely blaming India for the flash floods, he wrote, “Make your child Anti India! Just a small reason, 1 of the rain in Feni over the past 1 week. Not even 5 feet of water is supposed to be. So how did the 2 storey building in Fulgazi / Parashuram submerged? You only let the answer know.”
India has categorically debunked baseless allegations that blamed India for flash floods in Bangladesh, not once but twice
It is important to note here that several Bangladeshis are spreading an anti-India narrative amid the floods alleging that India has deliberately opened the gates of the Dambur Hydroelectric Project in Tripura state. Apart from netizens, several media houses also alleged that India was behind the floods that have shaken Bangladesh currently. However, India has factually debunked these allegations twice.
India has factually debunked the allegation that flash floods occurred in Bangladesh because India opened the dam in Tripura not once but twice. India has clarified that the gates were not opened as claimed by many including credible Bangladeshi and other nation’s media houses, but the automatic release of water due to heavy rainfall was observed. Floods in Bangladesh have created havoc.
