Hashtags, hubs, and hidden operators: Tracing the anti-India online nexus in Bangladesh

Relations between India and Bangladesh have long been based on strategic cooperation, economic partnership, and deep historical ties. However, in recent months, certain developments have emerged that have created diplomatic friction between the two countries. Differences over limited but sensitive issues have not only affected political and diplomatic discourse but have also visibly spilled over into the digital space.

Against this backdrop, a significant increase in anti-India disinformation has been observed on Bangladeshi online platforms particularly on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Publicly available content on these platforms indicates that this anti-India propaganda is being driven by networks operating from Pakistan and other foreign locations, using Bangladesh as a pretext. Through selective facts, partial information, and emotionally charged language, an environment is being created in which India is portrayed as responsible for Bangladesh’s internal or regional challenges.

Hashtags such as #IndiaOut and #BoycottIndia have been systematically used to push negative narratives against India. These campaigns combine political allegations, emotional appeals, and misleading claims. In many instances, these online reactions go beyond spontaneous outrage and take the form of structured campaigns aimed at shaping broader public opinion.

This report analyzes the recent tensions between India and Bangladesh alongside the anti-India propaganda active on X and Facebook. Its objective is not to arrive at political conclusions, but to understand how existing circumstances are being exploited to construct and disseminate online narratives, and how these narratives may influence bilateral relations and public perception in both countries.

Key Focus Areas of the Report

 The nexus behind anti-India disinformation

 Content analysis of the nexus’s online propaganda

 Role of Pakistani users

 Propaganda and hashtag analysis on Facebook

The Nexus of Anti-India Disinformation

During the course of this report, analysis of anti-India online campaigns on X identified ten users who regularly or semi-regularly shared content using hashtags such as #IndiaOut and #BoycottIndia. These users include Asifur Rahman, Ali, Hiccup, Fahrana Jannat Barsha, Opinion A-to-Z, Azfar Shah, Suarez, N. Husain, Hridoy, and Luke Sharp. While this account network is not highly influential individually, it plays a collective role within a coordinated campaign.

Content Analysis of the Online Propaganda

The analysis of these ten users indicates that the anti-India campaign is not limited to a single account but operates through users with varying levels of influence. Some accounts actively generate content, while others focus on amplifying and spreading it.

Posts from Asifur Rahman frequently link India to regional instability, human rights violations, and interference in neighboring countries’ internal affairs. These posts rely heavily on emotional language and show moderate engagement, suggesting a limited but consistent audience.

The account operating under the name Ali shared anti-India posts using #IndiaOut and #BoycottIndia, often reposting or quoting content from other users.

Hiccup’s posts are fewer in number but tend to appear alongside trending hashtags, indicating opportunistic activation during moments of controversy involving India. Content shared by Fahrana Jannat Barsha frames anti-India narratives within social and political issues, clearly questioning India’s policies and role.

The Opinion A-to-Z account plays an active role in anti-India campaigns, with regular use of #IndiaOut and #BoycottIndia, and frequent interaction with like-minded accounts. Posts from Azfar Shah use political accusations and international references to frame India negatively.

Other accounts such as Suarez, N. Husain, and Luke Sharp show varying but consistent engagement in spreading these hashtags.

Overall, this pattern reflects a coordinated content ecosystem rather than isolated expressions of dissent.

Contradictions Between Claimed Locations and Platform Data

A key pattern identified in this report is the discrepancy between users’ claimed locations and technical platform data. Many users involved in anti-India campaigns claim to be Bangladesh-based; however, metadata, connected apps, and location indicators on X suggest otherwise.

Several accounts show connections to the United States, Europe, the UAE, and other regions, despite presenting themselves as locally rooted in Bangladesh. This contradiction suggests that while the public identity of these accounts appears “local,” their actual operations may be managed from abroad. Such a strategy helps make narratives appear organic and credible while obscuring the campaign’s true geographic scope.

Role of Pakistani Users

Graphical evidence examined in this report indicates that some prominent accounts and digital groups involved in anti-India campaigns display strong technical and infrastructural links to Pakistan. Many users publicly present themselves as Bangladeshi activists, while platform metadata ties their activity to Pakistan-based app infrastructure.

Networks such as “Inquilab Zindabad” demonstrate cross-border digital coordination, with admin-level accounts connected to Pakistan App Store or Android infrastructure. Similar patterns emerge in Facebook-based groups where administrators linked to Pakistan promote Bangladesh-centric but anti-India narratives.

This strategy appears designed to present narratives as locally driven while the actual coordination and management take place outside Bangladesh.

Facebook Propaganda and Hashtag Analysis

On Facebook, groups such as “Cyber Force We Work to Protect Bangladesh” consistently portray India as aggressive, interventionist, and destabilizing. Some posts frame Pakistan and China in comparatively positive or balancing roles, indicating deliberate geopolitical narrative construction rather than simple criticism.

Data shows massive usage of #BoycottIndia (approximately 545,000 posts) and #IndiaOut (around 221,000 posts). Combined, these hashtags account for more than 766,000 posts, suggesting a sustained and organized digital campaign rather than spontaneous user sentiment.

Conclusion

This report points to a coordinated, multi-platform, and carefully planned anti-India online campaign operating through shared narratives, language, and hashtags across social media. Many accounts present themselves as Bangladeshi or independent voices, while technical indicators link them to Pakistan-centric digital ecosystems.

The scale and repetition of content under #IndiaOut and #BoycottIndia highlight attempts to isolate India internationally, question its internal stability, and influence global public opinion. Taken together, these patterns strongly suggest an organized information warfare strategy rather than organic online discourse.

(The Author is the Senior Research Fellow at Digital Forensics Research and Analytics Center)