Rumor Scanner debunks Indian media report on Pakistani force in Bangladesh

The fact-checking body Rumor Scanner, in an investigation today, debunked an Indian media report which claimed that Pakistani armed forces were patrolling Bangladesh.

In a report published on its website on Tuesday, Rumor Scanner stated that the members of the force seen in a video used in the news report by Aaj Tak Bangla, a Kolkata-based media outlet, are actually members of the Crisis Response Team (CRT), a specialised unit of the Bangladesh Police, not Pakistani armed forces.

The fact-checking body said that recently, a video has been circulated on social media claiming that Pakistani special forces have entered the court premises of Rajshahi. The same video has also been circulated by Indian media as a scene from the streets of Dhaka.

A video report by India's Aaj Tak Bangla claims that members of the SWAT team from Pakistan's Punjab have arrived in Dhaka, showing the said video, Rumor Scanner said.

In this video, Bangladeshi lawyer Nijhum Majumdar is asked about it. He claimed (from 6 minutes and 20 seconds), "It seems unprecedented to me that such Pakistani armies have come to the streets of Dhaka and that Punjab Regiment boys or Pakistani soldiers are coming to the streets of Bangladesh in the guise of SWAT."

The investigation by the Rumor Scanner Team found that the video is not of a Pakistani armed forces patrol in Bangladesh.

Rather, the members of the force seen in the video are members of the Crisis Response Team (CRT), a specialized unit of the Bangladesh Police, the body said.

These members were engaged in providing security when former Rajshahi-3 MP and Awami League leader Asaduzzaman Asad was taken to Rajshahi Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1 on December 12.

At the beginning of the investigation into the claim, the Rumor Scanner Team reviewed the video in question and found the word "CRT" written on the back of the uniform of one of the armed force members in the video. Additionally, the Bangladesh flag can also be seen on the clothing of another member.

After reviewing the video, it was confirmed that it was exactly the same as the video in question. Furthermore, the title of the video revealed that it was recorded at the Rajshahi court premises, and the force seen in the video is the Crisis Response Team (CRT).

Further investigation revealed that a video report published on the YouTube channel of online media Jagonews24, titled "Tensions Around Prison Van on December 13 – Former MP Asad Attacked with Eggs," revealed that on December 12, former Rajshahi-3 constituency MP and Awami League leader Asaduzzaman Asad was being taken to the Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1 in Rajshahi when his prison van was attacked by angry BNP-Jamaat activists.

A review of the report shows that the uniform of the forces providing security to him at that time is exactly the same as the uniform of the forces in the video discussed. The back of their uniform also has the word "CRT" written on it.

Also, the location of the video discussed is quite similar to the court premises.

Later, in an investigation into the CRT, a report published on the Jagonews24 website on August 29, 2018, revealed that the CRT (Crisis Response Team) is a specialised unit of the Bangladesh Police.

The team works to combat major violent situations, including combating militancy and preventing drug smuggling. The report also revealed that this specialised unit of the police started its operations in Sylhet with a formal exercise, following Chattogram and Rajshahi.

Therefore, the information circulating on the internet claiming that Pakistani forces are patrolling Bangladesh is completely false.