As many of the different social media platforms were not registered in Bangladesh unlike in Europe, it was a big challenge to stem the spread of rumours through those, said Information Minister Hasan Mahmud.

Speaking to the media after meeting with representatives of the European Union at his office on Wednesday, Mahmud also said no discussions were held regarding the political programmes of either the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) or the Awami League.

"They wanted to know the role of our ministry during the election. We have said that the media in Bangladesh is private. The BTV is a state-owned channel in Bangladesh, while 35 private channels are on air.

"Our challenge is the rumours spread on social media. It has created chaos in the country. These were the challenges. The point came up that social media platforms also have a responsibility," he said.

He said according to the newly-amended laws in the EU, every such platform would now require registration.

"We have been saying this for a long time. We have asked all the social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, on behalf of the government, to be registered here according to the laws of Bangladesh. But this has not yet been done," Mahmud said.

He said although platforms complied to content removal requests, sometimes the damage had already been done.

"Because rumours spread within hours… It creates social chaos. This is a big challenge, we discussed it."

Mahmud also said he had pointed out that elections in Europe are also held under governments in power.

"By law, the same will happen in our country. We told them that.

"But during elections, the government has no power other than to do routine work. All the institutions of the government, which are concerned with elections, have their jobs entrusted to the Election Commission. I told them that. The Election Commission is very strong, they are very active."