The government Friday rejected a CNN report that blamed India for the recent floods in Bangladesh, saying the report’s narrative is “misleading” and “factually not correct.”
At a media briefing here, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen the CNN report on the flood situation in Bangladesh. Its narrative is misleading and suggests that India is somehow responsible for the floods. This is factually not correct and ignores the facts mentioned in the press releases issued by the Government of India clarifying the situation.”
He said the report has also ignored the fact that the two countries have a regular and timely exchange of data and critical information through existing joint mechanisms for water resources management.
The CNN had stated, “Dozens of people CNN met in Feni – which is only a few miles from the India border – accused New Delhi of releasing water from the Dumbur dam in neighbouring Tripura state with no warning.
India denied the dam release was deliberate and said excessive rain was a factor. The government said that a power outage and communications breakdown meant they were unable to issue the usual warning to its neighbour’s downstream.