Recently, a video was circulated on social media claiming that Pakistan’s special armed forces entered the premises of a court in Rajshahi. The same video was also shared in Indian media, portraying it as scenes from the streets of Dhaka. In a video report by AajTak Bangla (link), the video was shown with claims that members of Pakistan’s Punjab-based SWAT team had arrived in Dhaka. In this video, Bangladeshi lawyer Nijhoom Mojumder was asked about the matter. He claimed (from 6 minutes 20 seconds onward) that “Pakistani soldiers, disguised as members of SWAT or Punjab Regiment, are patrolling the streets of Dhaka, which I find unprecedented.”
In another part of the same video, Nijhoom Mojumder referred to Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman as a terrorist sponsor, militant leader, and dedicated worker of Shibir. He claimed that his investigation into the Army Chief’s hometown in Sherpur revealed that General Waker studied at a cadet college during his student years and alleged that he was associated with Shibir.
Nijhoom Mojumder shared the AajTak video (link) on his Facebook page.
Watch the video shared on Facebook with similar claims here:
Fact-Check
The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation reveals that the video does not depict Pakistani armed forces patrolling in Bangladesh. Instead, the personnel in the video are members of Bangladesh Police’s specialized Crisis Response Team (CRT). These members were deployed on December 12 to provide security during the transport of Asaduzzaman Asad, a former Member of Parliament for Rajshahi-3 and an Awami League leader, to Rajshahi Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1.
At the start of the investigation, the Rumor Scanner team examined the video in question and observed the text “CRT” on the back of one-armed member’s uniform. Another member’s uniform displayed the Bangladeshi flag.
Following this, the team discovered a YouTube Shorts video titled “This is Bangladesh CRT (Crisis Response Team)” published by the National Dialogue Bangla (NDB) channel on December 25.
Upon review, the video was found to match the circulated footage exactly. The title indicated that the video was recorded in the premises of the Rajshahi court and identified the unit as the Crisis Response Team (CRT).
Further investigation into Jago News24’s YouTube channel revealed a video report titled “Tensions Surrounding Prison Van – Former MP Asad Hit with Eggs“, published on December 13. This report detailed that on December 12, Asaduzzaman Asad’s prison van was attacked by agitated BNP-Jamaat activists while he was being taken to the Rajshahi Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1.
An analysis of this report showed that the security personnel matched those in the viral video, with “CRT” visible on their backs.
Additionally, the court premises closely resembled the location seen in the controversial video.
Further exploration into CRT revealed a report published on Jago News24 on August 29, 2018 (link), describing CRT as a specialized unit of Bangladesh Police. The unit focuses on counter-terrorism, drug trafficking prevention, and managing large-scale violent incidents. The report also mentioned that this specialized unit began operations with formal Chittagong, Rajshahi, and Sylhet drills.
Thus, the claim that the Crisis Response Team (CRT) of Bangladesh Police was being portrayed as Pakistani armed forces is entirely false.
Regarding the allegations by lawyer Nijhoom Mojumder about Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, he presented no evidence to substantiate his claims. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) website (link) provided a brief biography of General Waker upon his appointment as Army Chief in June. A review of the biography revealed no information supporting Mojumder’s claim that the Army Chief studied in a cadet college. When contacted, the ISPR confirmed to Rumor Scanner that General Waker never attended a cadet college.
Conclusion
The claim that Pakistani forces are patrolling in Bangladesh is entirely false.
Sources
- National Dialogue Bangla (NDB) YouTube Channel: This is Bangladesh CRT (Crisis Response Team)
- Jago News24: Tensions Surrounding Prison Van – Former MP Asad Hit with Eggs
- Jago News24: A New Team ‘CRT’ Formed by Police
- Rumor Scanner’s Analysis
