Old Video Posed as Claim of Bangladesh’s Official Boycott of Indian Goods
A video circulating on X (formerly Twitter) falsely claims that Bangladesh’s newly appointed interim government has officially launched a campaign to boycott Indian goods. The video shows a man urging vendors to stock local products instead of Indian ones. However, verification reveals that the video is at least five months old. The boycott campaign, launched in protest against India’s perceived interference after Sheikh Hasina’s government secured a fourth consecutive term, actually features a Bangladeshi activist advocating for the boycott of Indian products.
On August 10, a video was shared from an X by a profile named Jitendra Pratap Singh. The video features a man visiting market shops, urging vendors to stock “deshi products” and discontinue the sale of Indian goods like “Dabur Honey,” “Parachute Coconut Oil,” “Ujala Neel,” and “Taaza Tea.” He also shared a list of local alternatives, encouraging vendors to promote brands such as Pran, Chamak Neel, Randhuni, Square, and Jui Coconut Oil. In the caption, Jitendra Pratap Singh claimed that the video was part of an official campaign by Bangladesh’s new government to “boycott Indian goods.”
He also claimed that BNP leaders are canvassing the city, urging shopkeepers to stop selling Indian brands like Parachute Oil, Dabur Honey, and Ujala Washing Powder. Additionally, they are advocating for a boycott of Indian businessman Adani. He further described Bangladesh as a growing threat to India. His caption, written in Hindi, translates to: ‘The Government of India should now understand that Bangladesh is becoming a bigger threat than Pakistan on our eastern border. Bangladesh should be dealt with in their own language.’ So far, the video has been viewed nearly 6,000 times and reposted 198 times on X.
However, a reverse image search by Dismislab revealed the video is actually five months old. The original video was posted on a YouTube channel Tarek’s Time on February 22 of this year. The man in the video, identified as Md. Tarek Rahman, claims to be an activist from the party Gana Odhikar Parishad. There is no evidence that the newly sworn-in interim government of Bangladesh, which took office on August 8, has called for a boycott of Indian goods.
A February report by Al Jazeera noted, “Calls to boycott Indian goods in Bangladesh follow allegations of Indian interference in national elections.” The BBC also reported that the hashtag campaign was trending on Facebook, X, and Instagram during the same period. The video from Tarek’s Time dates back to February, with other similar campaign videos (1, 2, 3) available on the channel. This confirms that the video is not recent and has no connection to the current political situation in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, its spread has led to hateful comments against Bangladesh.
It’s worth noting that the quota reform movement, which began in Bangladesh last July, progressed into an anti-government movement. After weeks of deadly clashes, internet shutdowns, and curfews, then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on August 5. Following these events, rumors about communal violence in Bangladesh have been spreading on social media in India. Multiple reports (1, 2, 3) by Dismislab have highlighted the issue of fake campaigns using irrelevant clips or images on platforms like X.
