2023: When Political Disinformation Switches Gears in India
Varun Kareparambil
Crafting Tailored Security Solutions for UHNWIs & Corporations | Creator of AI ThreatScape Newsletter
The games have begun
Bihari’s targeted in Tamil Nadu for their identity
On February 21, Amar Ujala, a popular Hindi daily in India published an article talking about an attack on two migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. The article spoke about how these migrant workers were targeted by locals in Tamil Nadu for their Bihari identity.?
Another popular news outlet, Dainik Bhaskar, carried the news on the same day. Their report also spoke about other attacks on Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.
Bihari worker murdered. Migrants in fear, returning home.?
Five days later, Dainik Bhaskar reported the death of another migrant worker. They described it as a suspected murder.? In the same article, the daily referred to previous incidents in which migrant workers from Bihar were being targeted by locals in Tamil Nadu.?
It further spoke about how migrant workers from Bihar were living in fear and that they were compelled to return to their home state. This report was picked up by ETV Bharat, another news outlet.?
15 dead and 50 Bihari migrant workers injured in targeted attacks. Workers leave Tamil Nadu.?
On March 2, Dainik Bhaskar published an article that spoke about migrant workers locking themselves up in a room over fears of being attacked by locals in Tamil Nadu. The reports also showed a picture of a man assaulting some migrant workers.
Another news outlet, Hindustan, reported that two migrant workers had been killed and around 50 were injured in targeted attacks directed at migrants from Bihar.
Punjab Kesri, a popular Hindi news outlet, published an article talking about how migrant workers from Bihar were being targeted. The article also spoke about rumours of around 15 deaths.
Meanwhile, Prabhat Khabar, a prominent daily in Bihar reported that migrants in Tamil Nadu were forced to leave the state over fears of targeted attacks against them.??????
Engineering an escalation from nothing.
The news started spreading on social media. Videos of the attacks were being widely circulated via Whatsapp and other social media channels. Prashant Patel Umrao, the spokesperson for BJP Uttar Pradesh, tweeted that “12 migrants from Bihar were hung to death in Tamil Nadu for speaking in Hindi.”?
Another Twitter user, Mohammed Tanvir, who identifies himself as a journalist, tweeted two videos alleging that Hindi-speaking people were being attacked in Tamil Nadu.
Migrant workers fearing for their safety started contacting the police with one common question - Are we safe?
Matters began to escalate. The fear amongst the migrant workers was real. Before things could further spiral out of control, Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar tweeted, asking authorities to ensure the safety of the workers from Bihar.
In response to the Chief Minister’s tweet, Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police tweeted saying that the videos and news of such attacks were false.????????????
Investigations revealed that this was a disinformation campaign.
Images and videos from various incidents which had nothing to do with migrant workers being targeted were systematically used to build a narrative of migrant workers from Bihar being targeted in Tamil Nadu.?
Disintegration and Disruption Through Disinformation
Tamil Nadu: An attractive disinformation target
This particular incident could have taken an ugly turn. However, some good work by the law enforcement agencies of Tamil Nadu and Bihar, supported by fact-checking organisations such as Alt News and Boom Live helped in debunking this false narrative.
A failure to have contained this disinformation operation could have turned into a crisis for the Tamil Nadu government.
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To understand why it is essential to take the following crucial facts into consideration:?
All of the above means that Tamil Nadu is also home to around one million migrants who finds employment in the state. It is extremely critical that the migrant population feels safe.
Engineering fear to destabilise the economy
Incidents that trigger a sense of fear and anxiety could not only cause an exodus of migrants but also instill a deep divide between the migrants and the local population leading to potential conflicts.
This in turn could impact the state’s reputation and dent investor confidence.?
The Tamil Nadu government is fully aware of this. Measures taken by state authorities to address the case of migrants being targeted clearly indicate that cases of disinformation will not be taken lightly.?
A tactical win in the short term?
Strict legal action was taken against all those individuals and media outlets involved in spreading disinformation. In fact, it went a step further, with Tamil Nadu police releasing guidelines on how to address disinformation.
The Motive: More Than What Meets The Eye?
Going beyond first impressions
A disinformation operation is never conducted without a specific goal. To understand the possible goal in the case of migrant workers in Tamil Nadu, let's look at a few political developments which transpired in the run-up to this disinformation operation.
Two state governments were targeted in this particular disinformation operation - Tamil Nadu and Bihar. Both these states are not governed by the BJP. The BJP has been working hard to woo voters from these two states.
On March 1, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, M K Stalin called for the opposition to unite against the BJP in the general elections of 2024. Several senior opposition leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, Tejaswi Yadav, and Mallikharjun Karge, attended M K Stalin’s birthday in Chennai. In a large public rally, each of these political leaders took the opportunity to critcise the BJP, while calling for uniting against a common “foe.”
Quelling Dissent
Any actions which can potentially unite the opposition will not bode well with the BJP. Although the opposition at the center is meek and almost non-existent, an opposition united by a common cause can become a threat. BJP is unlikely to take chances, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.
When disinformation of targeted attacks on Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu started doing the rounds, the BJP leaders from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh used it as an opportunity to target M K Stalin and Tejaswi Yadav.??
While there is no evidence to prove that this disinformation campaign was run by BJP, it is clear that leaders from some BJP leaders did play an active role in amplifying the disinformation.?
It's Open Season. Expect More Political Disinformation.?
While the case of Bihari migrant workers being targeted in Tamil Nadu was handled well, the crucial question is - Will there be more such cases of targeted political disinformation? If this case is to be examined from a different lens, the answer is, Yes.
This case should be taken as a study of what to expect in the lead-up to the Indian general elections of 2024. In 2023 itself, India would be witnessing 9 state elections. Every opportunity which can be used to disrupt the opposition will be used.?
Well-run political disinformation operations can cause a number of issues for the target within a very short span of time. Any party or individual who possesses the ability to run a disinformation operation will do so, regardless of the outcome.
It’s open season. Expect more political disinformation.
Financial Crime Risk & Intelligence Analyst
1 年Excellent piece. However, I would prefer calling this type of disinformation as agenda-based. We have often seen this in the past ahead of UP Assembly polls. A few of such disinformation have also triggered large scale commmunal violence, giving an opportunity to many to run their shops. Media needs to be more apolitical and avoid a few to exploit them to further an agenda. Just my small bits.