'False narrative': India slams Chinese vloggers for showing Dhaka slums as New Delhi

India on Tuesday condemned reports of Chinese vloggers filming economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, and falsely presenting them as parts of New Delhi, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) urging the authorities concerned to take action against those involved.

Responding to a question at the MEA's bi-weekly media briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said attempts to portray a distorted picture of any country were unfortunate and that spreading false narratives undermined the credibility of those behind such activities.

"We have seen media reports in this regard. Such efforts to present a distorted picture of any country are unfortunate. As for efforts to buy foreign elements to portray Dhaka as Delhi, peddling false narratives only undermines the credibility of those undertaking such actions and those behind them. And we would urge the authorities concerned to take action against such people," Jaiswal said.

His remarks followed an investigative report by Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, which alleged that around 150 Chinese nationals had been filming and livestreaming from low-income neighbourhoods in Dhaka while claiming that the footage showed New Delhi.

The report identified areas including Tekpara and Uttara as locations where the vloggers had been recording videos. Their broadcasts reportedly featured disparaging remarks about residents' living conditions, sanitation, food habits and local infrastructure.

In one instance, a Chinese woman identified as 'Mianmian', who claimed to be from China's Sichuan province, livestreamed from Uttara's Sector 12 on November 1. She allegedly presented the location as New Delhi and criticised the condition of houses and surrounding areas.

"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 another incident, a Chinese national identified as 'Wang Wei' was reportedly seen filming at tea stalls in Tekpara and making derogatory remarks about the tea being consumed by local residents.

"Look, they are drinking tea. Do you know what kind of tea this is? This is cow urine tea. They drink cow urine tea," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

According to the report, the livestreams were being broadcast on digital platforms, including WeChat and Douyin. Residents also raised concerns about filming crews entering residential areas, kitchens and other private spaces without seeking permission.

The report further alleged that local facilitators were helping the Chinese nationals move around the neighbourhoods and were being paid between 700 and 800 Bangladeshi taka a day.

Local police authorities had acknowledged observing foreign nationals filming in the Uttara area, the newspaper reported, adding that the reasons behind the activities remained under review.

Reports of Chinese content creators filming in Dhaka's underprivileged neighbourhoods have been emerging since May 2026. The latest allegations have raised concerns over the deliberate misrepresentation of locations and the use of misleading online content to create negative perceptions of India among international audiences.

(With agencies' inputs)