The long and short of all that Bidyanondo is accused of

That accusations made on social media have the power to rile up a mob, both for and against the accused, is nothing new. 

But what has been happening with the recent allegations raised against Bidyanondo Foundation is nothing short of a spectacle. 

As it happens, Bidyanondo showcased ornaments they claimed were made from burnt fabrics recovered from the recent Bangabazar fire. But in reality, at least four of the collage of six photos were taken from the internet. 

The matter first came to light as a member from a Facebook-based entrepreneur group pointed out in the early hours of Sunday (16 April) that an ornament Bidyanondo advertised as their own was actually made by her.  

Then, in no time, words of Bidyanondo finally "getting exposed" spread like wildfire.

This is of course not the first time Bidyanondo has been "exposed". 

Not long after the ornament photo fiasco, complaints from the past that were never reportedly addressed also began resurfacing. The allegations ranged from setting up a plastic garbage dumpsite for a photo op in Saint Martin's Island, to posting photos of the same cow with the same people in the background more than once as evidence of its food charity programme.

Bidyanondo, in many of its posts, uses the name of a certain "Majid chacha" as a person in need. Critics questioned how many Majid chachas the organisation has run into so far.

In another post on "food preparation" for a village, Bidyanondo allegedly blocked a commenter when they asked where the village was located. 

There are also more serious allegations against Bidyanondo of tampering with the audit reports of donations, while the organisation's founder and chairperson Kishore Kumar Das has allegedly acquired pieces of land in the hill tracts in the name of charity.

Then there are even allegations of people asking for help but never receiving any, while their stories were reportedly later used for fundraising posts. As of this writing, more allegations of wrongdoing keep pouring in, each more serious than the other.

Honest mistake or systematic deception? 

Bidyanondo released a statement from their official Facebook page on Sunday afternoon, explaining their position. 

"Our project team downloaded several sample images from the internet to create a post about making ornaments from burnt clothes of Bangabazar. When sending images of products to the social media team, they mistakenly sent referential images from the internet," read the post.

"The social media team created a collage of six pictures without proper verification and approval, where two pictures are of Bidyanondo, but the remaining are pictures from the internet," it added.

Meanwhile, after remaining silent on the issue for more than 40 hours, Bidyanondo founder and chairperson Kishore Kumar Das finally came to Facebook live on Monday (17 April) evening to explain a few things. 

The highlight of the live session was Kishore's attempt at clearing the air regarding the pieces of land in the hill tracts. 

Reading out from the lease agreement that gave them rights over the use of the land, Kishore said: "It is clearly written that the pieces of land are being leased to our foundation only for the development of the orphans as well as educational activities. As soon as our foundation stops working in these sectors, the affidavit will be automatically cancelled and the pieces of land will no longer belong to us."

He also clarified the confusions about the audit reports. "I saw one highly-educated person saying we have tampered with the audit and showed only six Bkash numbers as donors. But those numbers were not of the senders, but of the receivers. 

"Also it is being said that we have shown very little amount in the account balance. Again people are confusing the closing balance of a year with the total balance.

"Through the audit, we disclose every single detail of the transaction with our donors," he added. 

Kishore further addressed the other issues Bidyanondo had been facing criticism for in the last few days and said, "Our foundation is made up of young people. Due to our lack of experience, we make mistakes often.

"But as the head of the foundation, I am taking all the blame upon myself. Now you all tell me what I should do to atone. You want me to quit my post? I am ready to leave it right now," he added. 

He concluded the session by saying, "An organisation cannot convince 100% people. There will be many people who don't like our activities. If you too have any problem with us, don't support us. But please don't discourage the people who support us."

Iresh Zaker, one of the directors of Asiatic 360, a communication agency responsible for running Bidyanondo's social media handles, shed more light on the matter. 

"Bidyanondo had sent us some pictures, and we just put them together to post on social media. So, I don't think it was a mistake on our part. Still, if there was any wrongdoing on our part, we would definitely take responsibility," he told The Business Standard. 

The acclaimed actor also clarified that his agency took over the social media responsibility of Bidyanondo in 2022, so they can't be associated with any mistakes made in 2021 or earlier. 

In defence of using the name of Majid chacha, he said, "It is not really that hard to understand that 'Majid chacha' is simply a symbolic name used to represent any needy person in the country, without having to reveal their true identities."

Be that as it may, given the nature of some of the allegations, and more importantly, people's reaction to it, it falls upon the relevant authorities to investigate whether Bidyanondo willfully deceives people to gain not just social media traction, but also financially benefit from donations. 

Bidyanondo received the approval of NGO Affairs Bureau under the Prime Minister's Office in September last year. 

When asked if they would take any steps to investigate the complaints against Bidyanondo, Director General of NGO Affairs Bureau Sheikh Md Moniruzzaman informed that they had yet to receive any specific complaints against the organisation. 

"We can look into the matter only if there are complaints of irregularities with the money from foreign donations. But if it is related to any other issues, we don't have the jurisdiction to do anything about that," Moniruzzaman added. 

"If there is an allegation against an individual or an organisation, no matter how big or how prominent it is, they should definitely be probed and brought under the law," said Ali Imam Majumder, a former cabinet secretary and also a trustee of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

"If there are some primary basis of the allegation, the government should of course intervene, and direct its concerned ministry or department to launch the investigation," he added.

Not the first time being 'exposed'

Bidyanondo has had to deal with its fair share of criticism and controversies ever since it came into being. There had been attempts to discredit it several times in the past as well, for reasons as silly as the organisation's seemingly "non-Muslim" sounding name. 

The hatred both online and offline often appears to carry a communal dimension. At one point things came to a head when the founder of the organisation was on the verge of stepping down from his chairperson role back in May 2020, as he had been "receiving personal attacks for being a Hindu". 

By the look of how they had been at the receiving end of a certain quarter's negative campaigns, it can be deduced that the current onslaught was a long time coming. And this time around as well, it doesn't look like the mistakes on social media are the only reason behind the crisis Bidyanondo is currently in.

As many have pointed out, Bidyanondo seeking Zakat donations, with Eid-ul-Fitr approaching fast, has not gone down well with a lot of people.

Iresh Zaker also believes seeking Zakat is at the heart of the backlash Bidyanondo is receiving at the moment. 

"If you observe closely, I don't think social media posts had anything to do with the criticism against Bidyanondo. The opposition against Bidyanondo is completely politically and communally motivated, as some people didn't like the fact that an organisation headed by a Hindu person is receiving Zakat."

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater

Bidyanondo may be in trouble right now, with questions being put forth on the authenticity of their humanitarian works. However, there are many well-documented instances of Bidyanondo stepping up with their innovative ideas to help people, as well as animals, in times of need. 

The most noteworthy amongst them is the meal programme, "Ek Takay Aahar", which has provided nutritious meals for thousands of vulnerable people, particularly children, and those who are homeless. During the city corporation elections in Dhaka, they were the first of its kind to remove and reuse campaign posters littering the streets in a bid to provide laminated books and diaries as well as bags to children. 

Bidyanondo volunteers also work to sanitise other public spaces and transport, and provide ongoing educational, health and nourishment support to needy people.

Their role throughout the coronavirus pandemic was particularly commendable. During that time, the organisation ramped up their efforts to distribute relief across the country.

In April last year, Kishore Kumar Das, the founder of the organisation, was even recognised as the 223rd Commonwealth Point of Light by the late Queen Elizabeth II for improving access to education for over 1,200 children from marginalised backgrounds.

Earlier this year, Bidyanondo Foundation won the Ekushey Padak as well, for "working restlessly for the underprivileged and socially ignored groups across the country". 

Apart from actively participating in humanitarian works, the organisation has also been at the heart of inspiring many new voluntary organisations to come into being. 

Zakat: A line too far?

Bidyanondo has been seeking Zakat donations for several years now, and there are Islamic scholars as well who see nothing wrong in it. 

In their website, Bidyanondo has mentioned that "this Zakat fund will support individuals to become self-employed and self-sufficient" and that they "have an independent committee for Zakat with renowned Islamist Scholars and 100% of the Zakat fund is used for Muslims".

"It's not like you are donating Zakat to the organisation itself. You are donating it to their Zakat fund. And in their introduction, they mention where they will spend the Zakat," said Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, the head Imam of Kishoreganj's Sholakia Eidgah. 

"If the sectors they spend the Zakat on do not contradict with Islamic law, then I see no problem with it. And as far as I am concerned, they disburse the Zakat according to Islamic law," he added. 

Having said that, in the Bangladeshi context, if a charity foundation without any direct Islamic background seeks Zakat donations, it is bound to hurt some people's "religious sentiments" in the process. 

And that's exactly why seeking Zakat donations was a move some people feel Bidyanondo should have better avoided. To add to that, Bidyanondo's recent association with some political personalities also did them more harm than good.