Just a few years ago, Pinaki Bhattacharya found himself estranged from his family after he decided to renounce Hinduism and embrace Islam, influenced by Tablighi Jamaat. Pinaki Bhattacharya was born in 1967 in Jaleshory Tola, Bogra District of Bangladesh. His father’s name is Shaymol Bhattacharya, who was a school teacher at Bagura Zila School and also a Cultural Organizer. Pinaki is the elder son of Shaymol Bhattacharya, and his mother’s name is Shukrity Bhattacharya. He has a brother named Avro Bhattacharya and a sister named Lopa Mudra Bhattacharya. From 1985 to 1992, Pinaki attended Rajshahi Medical College.
His father, Shyamal Bhattacharya, a respected school teacher, writer, and drama actor, was deeply disheartened by his son’s religious conversion. Their relationship soured to the point where Shyamal, in a fit of anger, disowned Pinaki, cutting off all communication. Pinaki, graduated from Rajshahi Medical College in 1992, an institution with a reputation for being associated with Jamaat-e-Islami activities.
Upon learning of Pinaki’s affiliations with ISI and his ties to Islamists, jihadists, and terrorists, his wife, also a physician, distanced herself from him. While residing in Bangladesh, Pinaki, under the guise of producing life-saving drugs in his pharmaceutical factory, engaged in illicit activities, manufacturing counterfeit medicine and ‘Yaba’ tablets-a potent mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine-which were distributed through criminal networks. As law enforcement agencies began to close in on his illegal operations, Pinaki fled Bangladesh and sought asylum in France, falsely claiming to be a “political victim” of the Awami League government.
In France, Pinaki holds two occupations: he operates an illegal hawala business and manages social media accounts, including a YouTube channel with nearly two million subscribers. The majority of his YouTube audience comprises semi-educated and uneducated individuals from Bangladesh and West Bengal, along with significant viewership from Bangladeshi laborers in various countries such as Malaysia and the Middle East.
Through his YouTube channel, Pinaki Bhattacharya, allegedly associated with the Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), disseminates venomous content and propagates vile messages. He targets Bharat (India), Hindu dharma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and opposes anti-Islamist and anti-jihadist movements within India and Bangladesh.
On February 22, 2204, Pinaki posted on Facebook, advising Bangladeshi directors and actors against collaborating with West Bengal-based OTT platform Hoichoi or any other Indian platforms. He specifically urged Bangladeshi actor Mosharraf Karim not to promote his upcoming movie ‘Hubba’ for Hoichoi. The post concluded with a thinly veiled threat directed towards Bangladeshi directors and actors, expressing his hope that he wouldn’t need to take a harsher stance.
In one of his recent videos, which amassed 7.1 lakh views within five days, Pinaki Bhattacharya likened Hindutva to Zionism and voiced apprehensions regarding India’s increasing global influence. He implicated internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning anti-militancy journalist and editor of Blitz, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury as both an Indian and Israeli agent operating within Bangladesh. Furthermore, he labeled Mr. Choudhury, as an enemy of the people. Pinaki encouraged his supporters to engage in online harassment by derogatorily branding Shoaib Choudhury as a “bastard” on social media.
In the same video, Pinaki prominently promoted a video from a Pakistani YouTube channel called ‘The Blank Page Official’, which claimed that “India has activated powerful assets to counter Bangladesh’s India Out campaign”. He also attempted to discredit Blitz by labeling it as an “asset” of India and Israel. According to reports from Indian media outlets, Pinaki Bhattacharya is described as an extremist who holds anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat sentiments. He frequently publishes content that defames Hindu dharma and goes to the extent of derogatorily labeling every Hindu as “bastards”. Similarly, he targets Bangladeshi citizens and media outlets that oppose the “India Out” activities.
Pinaki has garnered popularity among radical Muslims and individuals belonging to the anti-Bharat and anti-Hindu factions in Bangladesh and Pakistan due to his jihadist and anti-Bharat publications. He has allegedly encouraged Bangladeshi Muslims to participate in jihad against Hindus and join jihadist groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Additionally, he has been reported to praise Hamas for their actions, including attacks on Israelis and instances of violence against Israeli and Jewish girls and women.
In a recent interview with the Qatari media network Al Jazeera, Rumeen Farhana, the international affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), endorsed the party’s involvement in the “India Out” movement, asserting that the people of Bangladesh have long harbored discontent over India’s interference in their country’s politics. Rumeen Farhana alleged that India had exerted extensive efforts to support the ruling regime since 2014. She claimed that resentment towards India peaked in Bangladesh following the resounding victory of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League in the January 7’2023 elections, where the party secured 223 out of 300 parliamentary seats. Critics contended that the electoral process lacked legitimacy due to the opposition’s boycott and the presence of numerous independent candidates allegedly backed by the Awami League, raising concerns about the fairness of the election.
Authorities in New Delhi and Dhaka must take decisive action against Pinaki Bhattacharya, an alleged asset of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), who has amassed over 1.6 million followers across various social media platforms. Bhattacharya initiated the #IndiaOut and #BoycottIndia campaign in mid-January, rallying his followers to join what he termed as a “monumental endeavor” aimed at expressing love for their homeland and breaking free from perceived constraints. His call resonated with thousands, amplifying concerns regarding his alleged role in spreading jihadist and extremist propaganda.
It is imperative that appropriate measures be taken against Bhattacharya, and the matter should be brought to the attention of relevant authorities in Paris. Furthermore, complaints should be lodged with social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and X regarding Bhattacharya’s exploitation of these platforms for disseminating extremist content. France should expedite the extradition process for Bhattacharya to face justice. Media outlets in Bangladesh, India, and globally must play their part in exposing Bhattacharya’s criminal activities.
