Cases are being filed in the respective countries against those spreading rumors sitting abroad: Information Minister

Dhaka, November 21, 2023 (BSS): Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Joint General Secretary of Awami League. Hasan Mahmud said that a case is being filed in the respective country against those spreading rumors while sitting abroad.
He said, ‘If a political party pays money to gossipers for spreading rumors against the country, nothing can be sadder than this. We have identified those who are spreading such rumours, and they have been notified in many places in the respective countries. If necessary, the people of our team have been told to file a case there according to the laws of the respective countries, the government has also informed the authorities of those countries.
The minister said this while interacting with reporters after a meeting with the Rumor Prevention Cell and Facts Checking Committee of the Directorate of Information at the Secretariat’s conference room this afternoon. Chief Information Officer Md. Shahenur Mia also addressed the meeting. Senior Deputy Chief Information Officer. In the presence of Abdul Jalil, Deputy Chief Information Officer Nasreen Jahan Lipi and Information Officer Gazi Sharifa Yachmin presented the activities of the department on preventing rumors and checking facts.
Information and Broadcasting Minister said, ‘We are aware of such rumors being spread from abroad and it has reduced compared to earlier. You have seen, the audio of those who expressed their anger that BNP and Jamaat did not pay their paid agents properly for spreading these rumours, has gone viral. In some cases, expatriate Bangladeshis have also filed cases in some places. So if someone thinks that he will sit abroad and spread rumors and he will be out of touch, but it is not.’
Hasan Mahmud said, “I thank the mainstream media for their vocal role against corona vaccination and rumors during the construction of Padma bridge. I would like to request the journalists, just as you have worked before in view of the needs of the nation and during the corona virus, now in view of the elections, so that no one can spread rumours, spread false propaganda, you will be vocal against rumours, as before, that is my expectation. Also, if a “counter post” is given against the rumor through social media, then the rumor will not spread easily. People need to be motivated for this.’
Earlier, the Information Minister appreciated the anti-rumour and fact-checking activities of the Information Department and suggested increasing the quality and quantity of work. It is to be noted that under this program conducted since 2018, 73 fact sheets, 37 iconotexts and 4 videos have been published on the fact checking service box of the website of the Department of Information, Facebook page DPID and DPID BD and YouTube channel DPID Bangladesh.