Chief Adviser's Press Wing has said the news story of Indian daily Anandabazar Patrika published on Friday is false.
"Its (Ananda Bazar) story about the Bangladesh army has no more basis in reality than a Bollywood romcom," the press wing said in a statement posted on its verified Facebook account - CA Press Wing Facts - on Friday.
Indian media is employing techniques of what has become known as hybrid warfare to support the country's long-time proxy, Sheikh Hasina, and to attempt to discredit the people and institutions of Bangladesh that in July and August brought her despotic rule to an end, according to the statement.
Hybrid war uses information operations - known as disinformation - to divide its targets both internally and from its natural friends and allies.
A disinformation operation typically begins with an entirely fabricated story, with no evidence and views attributed to unnamed people, planted in a friendly or pliable media outlet.
"If it is sufficiently juicy, the made-up story will be picked up by other media and gain apparent credibility as it spreads.
"Eventually, people who are interested in what's going on in the world but too busy to delve into the details may come to believe the story that began as nothing more than a glimmer in a propagandist's eye," the statement read.
The disinformation operation has succeeded entirely when people who believe the malign fiction are moved to act against the propagandist's adversary.
In this case, the press wing said, the adversary is the people of Bangladesh and their desire to govern the affairs of their own sovereign country; the willing mouthpiece is Ananda Bazar.
It said Anandabazar’s story on the Bangladesh army has no basis in reality but is a Bollywood romcom.
"You must choose whether to practice journalism, based on collecting evidence of what is actually happening in the world, or to propagate malign fictions as part of a campaign to undermine the sovereignty and dignity of a friendly neighbour," the statement said.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
