India on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 strongly condemned attempts by Chinese content creators to falsely portray economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Dhaka, Bangladesh as parts of New Delhi, calling the spread of such false narratives a direct attack on the credibility of those behind them. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) urged the relevant authorities to act against those involved in what officials described as a deliberate distortion of geographical locations.

What the MEA Said

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, addressing a bi-weekly press briefing in New Delhi, confirmed that the government had taken note of media reports on the matter. He said the portrayal of any country in a distorted manner was 'unfortunate' and explicitly called out the practice of sourcing foreign nationals to pass off Dhaka localities as Delhi.

'Such efforts to present a distorted picture of any country are unfortunate. Insofar as efforts to buy foreign elements to portray Dhaka as Delhi are concerned, the peddling of false narratives only undermines the credibility of those who are undertaking such actions and those who are behind them. And we would urge the authorities concerned to take action against such people,' Jaiswal said.

The Scale of the Operation

Reports indicate that over 150 Chinese nationals have been filming and livestreaming from low-income localities in Dhaka — particularly the Tekpara and Uttara areas — falsely presenting them as neighbourhoods in New Delhi. The activity has reportedly been ongoing since at least May 2026, with streamers active from early morning to late at night. The recurring presence of multiple operators in the same localities, combined with consistent geographical misrepresentation, has raised concerns about a coordinated rather than opportunistic effort.

Specific Incidents on Record

One Chinese woman identified as 'Mianmian', reportedly from China's Sichuan province, livestreamed on 1 November from beside a canal in Uttara Sector 12, Dhaka, presenting it to her online audience as New Delhi. According to leading Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, she described the surroundings as 'extremely dirty,' 'quite underdeveloped,' and 'unhygienic,' and alleged that the 'law-and-order situation is poor.'

'This is New Delhi. Their homes are extremely dirty. There isn't even a fan inside the tin-roofed houses. This place is quite underdeveloped, dirty and unhygienic, and the law-and-order situation is poor,' Prothom Alo quoted her as saying.

In a separate incident, another Chinese national was filmed livestreaming from tea stalls in Tekpara, making offensive remarks that the tea consumed by locals was brewed using 'cow urine.' Prothom Alo also quoted him as saying: 'Look, they are drinking tea. Do you know what kind of tea this is? This is cow urine tea. They drink cow urine tea.'

Why This Matters

The incidents highlight the growing threat posed by coordinated misinformation campaigns on social media, where deceptive content can accumulate large international viewerships before authenticity is verified. The concern, as flagged by Indian officials, goes beyond individual acts of disparagement — the calculated misrepresentation of a third country's territory as India, combined with remarks designed to degrade perceptions of Indian society, points to a systematic effort to shape how global audiences view the country. This is not the first time India-China information tensions have surfaced on digital platforms, but the use of Bangladesh as a staging ground adds a new and significant dimension to the pattern.

What Happens Next

India's public condemnation places the onus on both Chinese and Bangladeshi authorities to act against the individuals involved. No formal diplomatic note has been reported as of yet, but the MEA's public call for action signals that New Delhi is watching the matter closely. With the content already circulating on platforms accessible to international audiences, the broader question of platform accountability and cross-border misinformation governance is likely to remain live.