Newslaundry downplays ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh, denies large scale persecution
India 
26 August, 2024
Case Summary
On August 27, the leftist media outlet Newslaundry published a ground report from Bangladesh by journalist Smita Sharma, which aimed to downplay the violence against Hindus and cast India in a negative light. The Bangladeshi interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, had invited Indian journalists to cover the situation, claiming that reports of attacks on minority groups were exaggerated. In her report, Sharma spoke to Bangladeshi youths who expressed a desire to reform the country. The report featured images of Hindu girls visiting a temple, implying that Hindus and their places of worship were safe. However, the presence of iron grills before the idols raised questions about the actual safety of Hindu temples, especially in light of vandalism and numerous attacks. The report also included comments from Nusrat Tabassum, a leader of the student protests against Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government, who claimed that no Awami League politicians had been harmed by mobs. This claim was contradicted by numerous reports of violence against both Muslim and Hindu leaders, including the mob lynching of Shahidul Islam Hiran, an Awami League politician. Sharma did not challenge Tabassum's assertions, indicating that the report aimed to reinforce a narrative that framed the situation in Bangladesh as a “revolution” while obscuring the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Hindus. Tabassum dismissed anti-Hindu violence as a product of "post-revolution depression," suggesting that such violence was a normal consequence of revolutionary upheaval. Newslaundry also criticised Indian media for their reporting on the anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh. Sharma claimed that the "exaggeration" of anti-Hindu violence in Indian media was largely fuelled by misinformation. The overall tone of the Newslaundry report raised concerns about whether the invitation extended to select Indian journalists was meant to whitewash the anti-Hindu actions of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami; political parties known for their Islamist leanings.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category- Hate speech against Hindus and the sub-category chosen is- 'Anti Hindu subversion and prejudice'. Within this, a tertiary category has also been chosen which is 'Anti-Hindu fake news or downplaying. Media Bias: Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. The other sub-category this case is being added to is 'denial or mocking of genocide/large scale violence'. Denial or mocking of genocide/large-scale persecution/ethnic cleansing refers to the act of denying or minimizing the fact of the ethnic cleansing and/or genocide and/or religious persecution of Hindus. This often involves denying the scale, mechanisms, religious intent, or even the occurrence of the ethnic cleansing and/or genocide and/or religious persecution of Hindus. Hate speech of this kind involves the dissemination of falsehoods that deny or distort established historical facts or mock the suffering of Hindus by saying that they deserved the persecution, motivated by Hinduphobia. Denying such atrocities is not only about the denial of facts or rewriting/revising history, but it also delegitimises the religiously motivated persecution of Hindus, the religious hate/motivation/animosity that led to the persecution, and dehumanises Hindus as a religious group. Such denial of ethnic cleansing and/or genocide and/or religious persecution of Hindus not only denies the suffering but also paves the way for future/present atrocities and hate speech, inciting prejudice and violence against Hindus. It also provides a justification for violence by delinking religious animosity from religiously motivated crimes committed against Hindus. Since such denial and/or mocking of genocide/ethnic cleansing/atrocities motivated by religious animosity leads to present and future ramifications of creating more hate speech, violence, dehumanisation and delegitimisation, it would be considered hate speech under this category. The removal of Sheikh Hasina from power in Bangladesh on August 5 escalated the persecution and marginalization of the Hindu minority in the predominantly Islamic nation, intensifying what can be described as a silent genocide. Since her ouster, Islamists have carried out unchecked atrocities against Hindus, including physical violence, the destruction of temples and religious symbols, and the systematic displacement of Hindus from their ancestral lands. Over 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops, and businesses have been recorded following Sheikh Hasina's removal as Prime Minister. Many Hindus have been brutally murdered or injured in these assaults. Amidst this violence, Newslaundry, in its ground report from Bangladesh, attempted to downplay the attacks on Hindus while shifting focus to cast India in a negative light. Besides siding with Nusrat Tabassum, a leader of the student protests against Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government, who framed the situation in Bangladesh as a “revolution” while obscuring the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Hindus, Newslaundry also criticised Indian media for their reporting on the anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh. It claimed that the "exaggeration" of anti-Hindu violence in Indian media was largely fuelled by misinformation. Such selective reporting obscures the severity of the crisis faced by Bangladesh's Hindu minority and reflects a reluctance to confront the harsh realities of their persecution, perhaps driven by ideological biases. This distorted narrative not only masks the truth but also perpetuates a dangerous indifference toward the suffering and religious persecution endured by Hindus. By minimising or ignoring these atrocities, these media outlets are indirectly contributing to the marginalisation and continued persecution of Hindus, normalising the violence against them. This selective silence, combined with unrelated criticism of India, can be seen as a form of hate speech, further deepening animosity toward Hindus and their faith and this is why this case has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
