Indian media outlets’ report about 'Greater Bangladesh Map' is fake: BanglaFact
BanglaFact, fact-checking and media research team of the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB), has uncovered a false propaganda campaign in Indian media outlets regarding a fabricated 'Greater Bangladesh Map'.
According to BanglaFact's investigation, several Indian media outlets, including The Economic Times, published baseless reports claiming a Türkiye-based NGO was promoting a 'Greater Bangladesh Map' incorporating parts of India and Myanmar.
Indian news reports claimed that an Islamist organisation named Sultanat-e-Bangla was behind the campaign of 'Greater Bangladesh concept'.
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However, BanglaFact found no evidence of such an organisation operating in Bangladesh.
The investigation revealed that the confusion stemmed from a misinterpretation of a historical exhibition by the Center for Bengal Studies (CBS), a local research group.
On Pohela Boishakh (April 14), CBS organised an exhibition titled 'Bhalo Kare Halkhata' at Dhaka University's Teacher-Student Centre (TSC), displaying a historical map of the Bengal Sultanate, not a 'Greater Bangladesh' map.
CBS clarified that it has no links to any foreign NGO or political entity and condemned the Indian media's distortion of facts.
BanglaFact noted that this appears to be a politically motivated disinformation campaign and could be linked to India's internal politics and ongoing discussions about illegal push-ins into Bangladesh.
The fact-checking team has been reporting a surge in fake news targeting Bangladesh from Indian sources, with 296 instances of misinformation identified in April alone.
