In the realm of modern online communication, political propaganda on social media platforms wields a significant influence on public perception. In this context, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Islamist allies have effectively established dominance on these platforms. Surprisingly, the ruling Awami League (AL), despite being synonymous with “Digital Bangladesh”, has not been as proactive in this arena, inadvertently giving the BNP a near-monopoly advantage in the digital world.
Ruling Awami League’s inefficiency or lack of efforts is granting almost monopoly advantage to Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the digital world. This discrepancy has enabled Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the BNP, and a convicted terrorist on the run since 2007, to deliver speeches from his London base. These speeches, in violation of Bangladesh’s legal framework, are distributed across social media and video-sharing platforms. Despite a categorical ban on such activities by the High Court Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, these contents, including anti-Bangladesh statements, are shared widely by thousands of BNP activists, many of whom are part of what we have termed the “ha-ha forces”.
Our investigation indicates that around twenty thousand members of BNP’s online “ha-ha” forces relentlessly work around the clock, receiving a nominal fee for each “ha-ha” reaction or comment they post on social media. Their duties also include reporting targeted social media IDs, primarily on Facebook and Twitter. On average, each member of this “ha-ha” brigade earns between 200 to 500 takas daily.
The coordination of these “ha-ha” forces is managed by BNP’s Media Cell and affiliated organizations, with a daily budget of Taka 500,000 allocated for these activities. Interestingly, a significant portion of this “Ha-Ha Bahini” (হা-হা বাহিনী) comprises Qawmi madrassa students, hawkers, day laborers even street-side prostitutes.
Curiously, many members of this “Ha-Ha” regiment do not comprehend the purpose behind their actions; they follow the instructions of project coordinators. Often, hundreds of comments are made without relevance to the post topic, and the language used is strikingly similar. This orchestrated approach involves phrases such as “Salam Niben” (greetings leader), “Masha Allah”, “Inshallah”, and “Prio Neta” (dear leader).
Our investigation further reveals the active presence of this “Ha-Ha” force on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Apart from “ha-ha” reactions, they engage in various forms of commenting, sharing, and strategic tagging to keep anti-government slogans trending. They also exert influence on various YouTube talk shows, shaping comments based on the directives of their recruiters. Additionally, they manipulate public opinion polls on international media platforms like the BBC and Deutsche Welle (DW).
Notably, BNP’s “Ha-Ha Bahini” members bolster the social media presence of notorious cybercriminals and anti-Bangladesh elements, thereby aiding the spread of their posts. Moreover, they actively target and report social media IDs of pro-Bangladesh, anti-BNP, and anti-Islamist individuals, with the aim of getting these IDs deactivated by the platforms.
It is worth mentioning that nearly 99 percent of BNP’s “Ha-Ha Bahini” members operate under fake or locked IDs, concealing their true identities.
This orchestrated digital campaign has created challenges for supporters of the ruling party and their IT cells, rendering them seemingly helpless in the face of the relentless onslaught by BNP’s “Ha-Ha” regiment.
