A team of burn-specialist doctors and nurses from India, along with necessary medical support, is currently in Dhaka to treat victims of the Milestone plane crash.
Following their arrival, a Facebook account named DrPuja Mukherjee claimed to be a member of the Indian medical delegation. In a post, the account alleged that she felt unwelcome and like a burden because of the behavior of the Bangladeshi doctors. She further claimed that during her duty hours, when she went out to buy water due to thirst, a shop charged her 300 BDT for a 40 BDT water bottle.
The post was widely shared, with some users posting screenshots to criticize Bangladesh. Hindutva-linked accounts, including Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus, shared a translated screenshot of the post, claiming that Indian doctors sent by the Indian government for treatment were being harassed in Bangladesh. Based on the post, some Kolkata-based Indian news outlets also published reports.
Fact-Check
The Rumor Scanner investigated the Facebook account and its claims and found them to be fake. The account falsely claimed to be a doctor from the Indian medical team, but in reality, no one with that name is part of the delegation. We also found that the account itself is fake, and the photos used were stolen from two different Instagram users.
After the Facebook post came to our attention, we reviewed the profile. At first glance, it did not appear to be the authentic account of a medical professional. We then conducted reverse image searches on the photos used in the profile and found that they were stolen from two different Instagram users — Payel Das (@payel_das___) and Puja Das (@_puja__das__saha).
The Facebook account was created in April 2024. Its profile photo was taken from Puja Das’s Instagram story highlights, shared in 2022. After the Milestone incident, the account posted a selfie alongside the flags of India and Bangladesh and a photo of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That selfie was originally shared by Puja Das in 2021. Many other photos used by the account were also taken from another Instagram user, Payel Das.
Moreover, we found that there is no one named DrPuja Mukherjee in the Indian medical team visiting Bangladesh. According to a report by The Indian Express, the team consists of two burn specialists — Dr. Ram Mohan from RML Hospital and Dr. Piyush Thayal from Safdarjung Hospital. Additionally, two nurses — Puneet Sharma and Anita Verma, both from RML Hospital — are also part of the delegation.
In conclusion, the account of DrPuja Mukherjee is fake — and so are its allegations. Therefore, the account falsely claimed to be a member of the Indian medical team and spread made-up accusations. Therefore, the claims made by the account are false.
Sources
- Rumor Scanner’s Investigation
- The Indian Express
