Bangladesh High Commission refutes India Today NE’s report on PM Sheikh Hasina’s airlift

The Bangladesh High Commission in India has released a statement refuting the accuracy of a news article published in India Today NE on July 21. The article, titled “Indian students flee Dhaka amid violent clashes, PM Sheikh Hasina airlifted”, incorrectly reported that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had been airlifted due to the violence in the country, with her whereabouts unknown. This article was also shared on India Today NE’s social media platforms.

In response to this news, the High Commission of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Delhi sent a letter to India Today NE, expressing strong objections to the report. 

“A piece of news article titled ‘Indian students flee Dhaka amid violent clashes, PM Sheikh Hasina airlifted’, published online as well as a related X handle post of India Today NE on 21 July 2024, have caught the attention of the High Commission of Bangladesh in New Delhi. While the article was premised on misleading information in more detail, the X post reads – “Amidst this chaos, reports confirmed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was airlifted from her residence in Dhaka. Her current whereabouts remain unknown. Although both the article and the post were subsequently taken down within a few hours, the misinformation on the status of the Government of Bangladesh went viral within a short span of time and triggered huge confusion and anxiety among people at home and abroad. On behalf of the High Commission of Bangladesh, I express my sheer disappointment at the aforesaid erroneous article and post. As you are well aware, our country is going through a challenging time due to the ongoing student protests. This kind of misinformation and reporting based on rumour at the time of such critical moment of any country may misguide the people and even add fuel to the crisis and turn the situation into more chaotic. Moreover, such kind of reporting, without gauging the sensitivity, does not only affect the people and the society in large negatively, but also questions the credibility of any news outlet. We request all the news outlets, including the India Today NE, to remain vigil and ensure objective and balanced reporting taking account of the sensitivity of the issue,” read the letter to India Today NE.

While this report was published based on information from a confidential source that could not be immediately verified, it was subsequently removed from the website.

India Today NE sincerely apologizes for this unintentional error and regrets any confusion or tension it may have caused in our neighbouring country. As a respected news publication, we remain committed to journalism that is both factual and ethical.