From four to a hundred: The politics of disinformation in the Hill Tracts conflict
On September 18, in Dighinala, Khagrachari, a young man died in a mob attack following theft allegations. The next day, clashes erupted between Paharis (minority hill communities) and Bengali settlers, resulting in arson that destroyed at least 86 shops, mostly belonging to the indigenous population. The tension soon spread to Rangamati, another hill district. Four people from minority communities were killed, and at least 80 others were injured in separate incidents over just two days. Two of these deaths occurred when security forces opened fire in Khagrachari’s Swanirvar area. The Bangladesh Armed Forces’ Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) later stated that patrol troops fired in self-defense after being attacked by armed groups, leading to the casualties. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) expressed concern over the conflict. In a joint statement, the CHT Commission and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) voiced deep concern about the violent attacks on indigenous people and called on the interim government to ensure their protection.
As concerns about the human rights of the minority hill communities grew, misinformation regarding the death toll of indigenous people spread rapidly on social media, fueling further confusion and panic across the region and beyond. In the days following, various posts on X, Facebook, and YouTube, inflated the death toll to 32, 67, or even 100. This disinformation was further exacerbated through formal statements by various Indian organizations and politicians, speeches during student protests, and eventually found its way into mainstream media reports in India. At one point, on both sides of the border, it became a part of political campaigns.
In some cases, the violence was framed as part of a coordinated plan to oppress Buddhist and Hindu religious minorities living in Bangladesh. Elsewhere, accusations of genocidal attack were made against the army, the Bengali population residing in the Hill Tracts, and the current interim government of Bangladesh. The interim government’s chief advisor, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, was blamed, and calls were made for his Nobel Peace Prize to be revoked.
In this analysis, Dismislab explores how the death toll in the hill conflict was exaggerated from four to one hundred, who spread this misinformation, how and to what extent it spread, how false online information became a narrative in the real world, and what role political influences played in this process.
From four to a hundred: How death toll misinformation spread
The fake death tolls began to surface mainly after the shooting incident in Khagrachari’s Swanirvar area on the night of September 19. The clash began at 10:30 p.m., and at 12:54 a.m., a Facebook page called “Jummo” posted claiming, “32 people already died. All eyes on Khagrachari.” This was the first post spreading false information about death tolls among those examined by Dismislab.
The page was created on September 18, just one day before the shooting. The profile picture added to the page that day featured the logo of “The Jummo Times”, an online portal based in Tripura, India. By midnight on the 20th, various profiles and pages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) were posting the exact same claim.
Within an hour of Jummo’s claim of 32 deaths, the number increased to 35. Facebook posts during this period claimed (1, 2, 3), “Bangladesh Army Opens Fire in Khagrachari, September 19, 2024 — already 35 Indigenous peoples killed by the Bangladesh Army.” These posts included videos of firing and the images of some victims but showed no evidence of dead bodies. One of the oldest public posts spreading this claim was found on a Facebook page named “RC’s World”. According to page transparency information, the page is run by someone based in France.
By 3 a.m., the alleged death toll had risen from 35 to 36. The language in these claims was as follows: “If the Awami League government is responsible for all the killings before August 5, then why won’t the central coordinator be held accountable for the killings after August 5??? Why hasn’t he been arrested yet?? The hills are filled with cries as 36 people have been killed, along with 200 homes burned to ashes.” This claim spread widely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).
One of the first instances of this claim was found on the profile of a man named Mohammad Zakaria Islam. He identifies as a Bangladeshi citizen and an activist of the recently ousted political party, Bangladesh Awami League, on his Facebook profile. Early on, several others who shared the false information (1, 2, 3) also identified themselves as members of the Awami League or its student wing, Chhatra League.
At 8:45 a.m. on September 20, a video was posted on the Facebook page of “The Jummo Times”, a Tripura-based news outlet. The video showed a scene of destruction caused by fire and claimed that 33 Chakma people had been killed in the army’s shooting and by fires set by Bengali settlers. However, the location of the shooting was falsely identified as Dighinala instead of Khagrachari town.
The death toll continued to rise and eventually reached 67, and later 79. The earliest claim of 67 deaths came from a profile named Atul Chakma. He wrote, “People’s are saying that the number of civilians de’ath is more than 150. 67 De’ath bodies found and many number of injured civilians.” Atul Chakma has a page where he states that he resides in India.
By 3 p.m. on September 20, a lengthy post began spreading (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) that detailed the ongoing conflict and attacks on the indigenous people, claiming, “As of the time of writing this message, 67 people have died.” The posts compared the events to the genocide of March 25, 1971, the day when the Pakistan military launched a brutal crackdown marking the beginning of Bangladesh’s War of Independence. In explaining the Bengali involvement, each post added, “Note: Bengali refers to Bengali Muslim settlers.” These posts cited sources such as Hira, Dhaka Tribune, and the Chakma Band Music Community, but none of these outlets or pages had published such death tolls.
Among those spreading this specific claim was Atul Chakma, a former leader of the All Arunachal Students’ Association; Advocate Sumanta Chakma, who identifies as a member of the Indian rightwing group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS); and Chakma Babu, who regularly writes for “The Jummo Times”, according to his Instagram account.
Meanwhile, an Indian influencer named Rupam The Explorer uploaded a YouTube video titled, “Over 100 people killed in brutal attacks by Bangladeshi Muslims; Bangladesh is the next Afghanistan.” As of the time of writing this report, the video had been viewed 30,000 times. More than 350 people had commented, most of whom believed the video’s information. Multiple comments stated, “This is also happening to Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians.”
From deaths to allegations of genocidal attack
The most widespread false claim about the death toll in the hill tracts conflict stated that 67 people were killed in Khagrachari and 12 in Dighinala, making a total of 79 deaths. This claim first appeared on a page named “Hill Blood”. The page administrator is based in Bangladesh.
At 10:15 a.m. on the 20th, the Human Rights Congress for Bangladeshi Minorities (HRCBM), an organization, also propagated this claim. It further alleged ‘a pattern of systematic attacks designed to displace indigenous populations’ and that these ‘bear the hallmarks of a genocidal campaign,’ calling on the United Nations and other international human rights bodies to intervene.”
Using HRCBM as a source, the claim of 79 deaths and genocidal attack spread widely (1, 2, 3, 4).
HRCBM is listed among the NGOs accredited to the United Nations office in Geneva. However, in the past, the organization shared a video on its Facebook page claiming the forced conversion of two Hindu girls in Bangladesh, which was debunked as false by Alt News, an Indian fact-checking site. According to page transparency information, four of the admins of it’s Facebook page are based in the U.S., and one is in India.
HRCBM also spread the same death claim on its X account, citing sources like the IWGIA, The Borderlens, and the Rights and Risks Analysis Group. However, no similar death tolls were found on the official websites or social media pages of these sources.
Nevertheless, Suhas Chakma, director of the Rights and Risks Analysis Group claimed nine indigenous deaths in a media statement. He along with other Indian Chakma leaders urged Mr. Modi to downgrade ties with Bangladesh after killings of tribals. The Borderlens, cited the letter that claimed “the deaths of 9 tribals” and reported that five unidentified bodies remain at Khagrachari hospital, a claim not substantiated. And, IWGIA only mentions four deaths in its joint statement with CHT Commission.
Another group began spreading the narrative that Bangladeshi Hindus and Buddhists were being killed as religious minorities in the hill conflict. An X account called “Baba Benaras“, which had previously spread multiple false claims (1, 2, 3) about violence against Hindus, alleged that Islamists had killed dozens of Hindus and Buddhists in Banarupa, Rangamati. The “Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus” X handle also propagated false information claiming that 67 people had died in Khagrachari and 12 in Dighinala.
From online to offline and into the news
Starting from the night of September 20, several political and student organizations in India issued statements condemning the incidents in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Many of these organizations also organized protests, where they presented exaggerated death tolls.
Tripura’s Minister of Industry and Commerce and BJP member, Santana Chakma, mentioned the death of 40 people in a letter to Narendra Modi, Indian prime minister, describing it as an ‘organized attacks and killings’ of minorities. It was also reported by the media.
The false death tolls shared by Indian activists and leaders found their way into mainstream news outlets. This included a press briefing by the Tripura Chakma Students’ Association (TCSA), which, on September 20, condemned the reported deaths of 67 indigenous people and even called for the inclusion of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in India.
On September 21, several organizations, including TCSA and the student wing of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), held protest rallies. Amitabh Chakma, a leader of the Chakma group, told the media, “In recent weeks, more than 79 people, mostly from the Chakma community, have been killed by Muslims and their terrorists.” Several media outlets, including The Indian Express (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), reported death tolls ranging from 67 to 70, based on claims made by the protesters.
Twitter handles claiming to be news outlets also spread different figures regarding the death toll, such as India’s “Megh Updates”, “Organizer Weekly”, and Myanmar’s “Arakan Bay News”.
From misinformation to political campaign
The issue became part of political campaigns from two angles: first, from BJP supporters and leaders, including indigenous leaders in India; and second, from supporters of the recently ousted Bangladesh Awami League. At this stage, most posts on various pages or X handles referred to the entire incident as genocide and ethnic cleansing, with calls for intervention from the United Nations and the United States.
Several posts (1, 2, 3) blamed Dr. Muhammad Yunus for these killings. One of the first calls for the withdrawal of Dr. Yunus’s Nobel Prize and the initial accusations of ethnic cleansing in Bangladesh came from Suhas Chakma. He claimed that ‘targeted ethnic profiling, targeted killings, and indirect means of ethnic cleansing’ were occurring in Bangladesh, which did not happen during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as prime minister.
BJP Mizoram’s CADC committee and Tripura State Level Chakma Youth Organisation (TRCGJ), in separate letters and memorandums to Mr. Modi, cited the deaths of nine tribals and demanded India’s intervention.
In a press briefing, the Tripura Chakma Students’ Association (TCSA) echoed the claim of 67 indigenous deaths while also demanding the incorporation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts into India. During a protest in Tripura, Dr. Yunus was heard being addressed with the statement: “As long as the Chittagong Hill Tracts are not an integral part of India or included in India, military rule and genocide must be stopped there.”
Awami League supporters also used the false death tolls in their propaganda against Dr. Yunus and the interim government. Early on, the “Supporters of Bangladesh Awami League” group shared claims of 32 deaths. Later, some party members questioned why central coordinators wouldn’t take responsibility for the deaths, promoting the figure of 36 killed. One post compared Dr. Yunus to Aung San Suu Kyi, claiming that, like her, “Dr. Yunus has seized power, shut down the internet in the hills, and started killing indigenous people. Last night alone, 67 were killed by the army.” The hashtag #StepDownYunus was used on X to spread these false death tolls.
By September 22, a campaign to revoke Dr. Yunus’s Nobel Peace Prize had started, with a petition referring to the recent attacks in Rangamati and Khagrachari. The petition stated: “Under his (Dr. Yunus’s) government, numerous Hindus and indigenous people of the Khagrachari and Rangamati regions have been killed and displaced. As chief advisor of the interim government, Dr. Yunus cannot remain silent while his army commits serious human rights violations. The international community can no longer ignore these injustices.”
This petition was shared on social media by Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her advisor on information and communication technology. However, the petition is no longer available on Change.org. The link now shows: “This petition isn’t available. Either the URL is incorrect, it violated our Community Guidelines, or the starter removed it.”
How many people actually died in the CHT conflict?
According to reports from leading media outlets in Bangladesh, including Prothom Alo, Samakal, Deutsche Welle, The Daily Star, and New Age, a total of four people were confirmed dead in three separate incidents in Khagrachari and Rangamati. Two people died from injuries in Rangamati and Dighinala, Khagrachari, while two others were shot dead in Khagrachari’s Swanirvar area.
The Kapaeeng Foundation, which has long worked on indigenous rights in Bangladesh, corroborated this death toll in its reports, adding that nine people were injured by indiscriminate firing by security forces in Swanirvar on the night of the incident. Later, the ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations) issued a statement claiming that members of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) had opened fire on an army patrol, prompting the forces to retaliate, which led to the casualties.
To verify the death toll in the ongoing conflict, Dismislab spoke to at least eight local journalists, government officials, and leaders of various local organizations in Khagrachari and Rangamati. All confirmed that, as of Tuesday, a total of four people from the indigenous community had died—three in Khagrachari and one in Rangamati.
The three individuals who died in Khagrachari were Junan Chakma from Jamtuli Para, Rubel Tripura from Paltan Joy Para, and Dhananjan Chakma from Udalbagan, Dighinala. The deceased in Rangamati was a college student named Anik Kumar Chakma from Noadam, Moghban Union.
Himel Chakma, a journalist from Independent TV, confirmed the death toll of four and added that there were about 70-80 injured in Rangamati, with 19 still receiving treatment in various hospitals. A journalist from an indigenous-run online news portal, preferred to be anonymous, estimated that over 200 people were injured in total, with about 50 hospitalized in total. Regarding the death toll of 32 to 100 circulating on social media, he dismissed them as baseless and explained that “Various parties with vested interests are likely behind this misinformation.” Satej Chakma, associate editor at indigenous news outlet IPNewsBD, also labeled the inflated death tolls as misinformation, as did Samakal’s Khagrachari correspondent, Pradip Chowdhury.
Additional Superintendent of Police in Rangamati, Shahnewaz Raju, said, “These numbers are unreasonable and are being spread to destabilize the situation in the hill tracts.” Aungkon Chakma, central president of the Hill Students’ Council (PCP), who called the exaggerated death tolls “completely false,” adding, “This is being done to create panic in the hills.”
