The trend of disinformation originating from Indian sources targeting Bangladesh is becoming increasingly alarming.
In 2025, Rumor Scanner identified evidence of at least 155 instances of disinformation about Bangladesh circulated through Indian media outlets and social media platforms, an increase of nearly 5 per cent compared to the previous year.
These figures reflect not only the scale of disinformation but also its continued upward trajectory. More concerning is the active role played by India’s mainstream media in spreading such falsehoods.
Last year, 73 Indian news outlets published 140 reports across 38 incidents containing false or misleading information involving Bangladesh.
Spike in disinformation early in the year
For several years, various Indian social media accounts, pages, and mainstream media outlets have routinely spread disinformation involving Bangladesh. The same pattern continued in 2025.
The highest concentration was recorded in January, when 34 instances of disinformation were spread by Indian sources, the highest number for any single month compared to previous years. Although the frequency declined somewhat in subsequent months, it did not stop.
X remains the most dangerous platform
As in previous years, the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) remained the most widely used medium for spreading disinformation about Bangladesh.
Of the 155 identified cases last year, 126 originated on X, meaning nearly 81 per cent of the disinformation was circulated through the platform.
Beyond X, Indian accounts and pages spread 54 instances of disinformation on Facebook involving Bangladesh.
Other platforms used for spreading false information included YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok.
Most disinformation linked to communal issues
Unrestrained communal disinformation dominated the landscape. Of the 155 disinformation cases identified in 2025, 91 were related to communal incidents, accounting for nearly 58 per cent of the total.
Indian mainstream media also played a role in this communal disinformation campaign. Evidence shows that in at least 10 incidents, Indian media outlets published communal disinformation involving Bangladesh.
These included prominent outlets such as NDTV, The Times of India, Zee News, World Is One News, India Today, Hindustan Times, News18, TV9, ABP, and Mirror Now.