The claim that all Indian TV channels have been ordered to stop broadcasting in Bangladesh is false
A claim has spread on Facebook stating that the Bangladesh government has ordered the stoppage of the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and all Indian TV channels in Bangladesh. However, Dismislab’s fact-check shows that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has only ordered the suspension of IPL match broadcasts. No notice or directive has been issued by the government so far to stop the broadcast of all Indian TV channels.
A photocard featuring Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus was posted from a personal profile in a Facebook group named “Bangladesh Jamaat Islam.” The text on the photocard reads, “Chief Adviser orders the suspension of IPL and all Indian TV channels in Bangladesh.”
The caption of the post reads, “All Indian TV channels declared shut down.” In the comments, many users appear to have accepted the claim as true. One user commented, “Alhamdulillah, this is how everything will be stopped with that immoral India, Inshallah.” Another commented, “I thank the honorable Chief Adviser and all advisers.”
The same photocard has been seen circulating with the same claim from multiple personal Facebook profiles (1, 2, 3) and a group.
To verify the claim, Dismislab searched relevant keywords and found multiple reports from national media outlets (1, 2, 3, 4). On January 5, Prothom Alo published a report titled “Order to stop IPL broadcast.” The report stated, “In response to the exclusion of cricketer Mustafizur Rahman, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has ordered the suspension of IPL broadcasts in Bangladesh. On Monday, the ministry sent a letter to the relevant broadcasters regarding this matter.”
The report further said, “The letter stated that the Indian Cricket Board’s decision to exclude Bangladesh’s star player Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders team for the Indian Premier League (IPL), scheduled to begin on March 26, has come to the government’s attention. No reasonable justification for this decision by the Indian Cricket Board is known. This decision has hurt, saddened, and angered the people of Bangladesh. Under these circumstances, the government requests to suspend the broadcast or transmission of all IPL matches and programs until further notice.”
All media reports mentioned that the government ordered the suspension of the IPL broadcast after Mustafizur was excluded from the Indian team. However, none of the reports mentioned any instructions to shut down Indian TV channels.
For further verification, Dismislab contacted Ummul Khair Fatema, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. She informed Dismislab that if any decision were made regarding the suspension of Indian TV channels, a notice would be issued. She also shared an official press note with Dismislab.
The press note stated, “The decision of the Indian Cricket Board to exclude Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders team for the Indian Premier League (IPL), organized by the Indian Cricket Board and scheduled to begin on March 26, has hurt, saddened, and angered the people of Bangladesh. Under these circumstances, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has informed through a letter that all IPL matches and programs are to be suspended from broadcast/transmission in Bangladesh until further notice.” While this press note orders the suspension of IPL broadcasts, it contains no instructions to stop broadcasting Indian TV channels.
Dismislab also found the official notice issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting regarding the IPL suspension on the ministry’s website. This notice also does not contain any directive to stop broadcasting Indian TV channels.
Therefore, while the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has ordered the suspension of IPL broadcasts in Bangladesh, the government has not yet issued an order to stop the broadcasting of Indian TV channels.
It is noteworthy that on December 2, 2024, a writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking to stop the broadcast of all Indian TV channels in Bangladesh. Multiple media outlets (1, 2, 3) reported this, although no further reports regarding the writ were found in the media.
Notably, Dismislab has fact-checked multiple false comments circulated after Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the IPL.
