The Facebook page of newly launched Bangladeshi news portal The Deltagram has been taken offline after a fake page impersonated it and reported against the original page. 

The original page, facebook.com/TheDeltagram, went down on the afternoon of October 20. 

The shutdown followed the emergence of a clone page that had been copying content from The Deltagram’s verified website and social media feed since October 15. The fake account has since been deactivated.

The newspaper suspects that the duplicate account filed a report against the original page, leading to its suspension.

“We don’t know why it has happened,” said The Deltagram’s founding editor, Ahmede Hussain. “But we suspect that some of our news reports and analysis have displeased certain quarters.”

The online newspaper, registered with the Bangladeshi government, has recently published a series of reports on enforced disappearances and individuals allegedly linked to them. 

One of its latest stories concerned Major General Kabir Ahmed, who the Bangladesh Army has declared absent without leave.

The publication said it was in contact with Meta to resolve the issue and restore its page.

Impersonation attacks and coordinated reporting of news outlets were common during the administration of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. 

However, this is the first reported case since the July/Monsoon Uprising [of last year] that a Bangladeshi media organisation has faced such a disruption.

The Deltagram, which was launched on August 30 this year, has gained notable popularity in a short period, attracting readers with its investigative focus and critical commentary.

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