Bangladesh Tightens Surveillance on Chinese Vloggers After India Raises Concerns Over Misleading Videos

Bangkok: Bangladesh has reportedly intensified surveillance of Chinese vloggers accused of filming impoverished neighbourhoods in Dhaka and falsely presenting them as parts of New Delhi to spread misleading narratives about India, following diplomatic intervention by New Delhi.

According to a report published by Thailand's daily Page 3 News, Indian authorities raised the issue with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government, expressing concern over the alleged use of Bangladeshi territory to create and circulate deceptive online content targeting India's image.

Following India's intervention, Bangladeshi police and intelligence agencies reportedly increased monitoring of the Chinese content creators, resulting in a decline in their activities.

Citing Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo, the report said Mohammed Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge of Uttara West Police Station, confirmed that the activities of the vloggers had decreased following law enforcement intervention. He added that police and intelligence personnel were closely monitoring their movements.

The controversy came into focus after India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly criticised the alleged attempts to misrepresent locations in Dhaka as New Delhi through social media videos.

During a press briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described such attempts to create a distorted picture of another country as unfortunate and urged the concerned authorities to take action against those involved.

He said that spreading false narratives through such activities undermines the credibility of both those creating the content and those supporting it.

Reports have alleged that more than 150 Chinese nationals were involved in filming and livestreaming from economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Dhaka, although an earlier report cited more than 100 participants. Some of the vloggers allegedly paid local residents to facilitate their activities.

The videos reportedly featured disparaging remarks about India's living conditions, sanitation, food habits and poverty, while presenting locations in Bangladesh as parts of the Indian capital. The activities were allegedly concentrated in Dhaka's Tekpara and Uttara neighbourhoods and had been taking place for several months, with reports emerging as early as May 2026.

One widely reported incident involved a Chinese woman identified as Mianmian, who claimed to be from China's Sichuan province. During a livestream on November 1 from Uttara Sector 12 in Dhaka, she allegedly presented the surrounding area as New Delhi and made derogatory remarks about the condition of local houses and neighbourhoods.

In another incident, a Chinese content creator reportedly livestreamed from a tea stall in Tekpara, making offensive claims about the tea consumed by local residents. Prothom Alo reported that the streamer falsely described it as being made from cow urine.

The videos also reportedly contained repeated derogatory comments about residents' lifestyles, hygiene, sanitation facilities and living standards.

The controversy has raised concerns about the use of manipulated geographical representations and misleading social media content to influence international perceptions. It also highlights the growing challenges posed by digital misinformation, particularly when livestreamed material can reach large audiences before its authenticity and context are verified.

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