DHAKA, Jan 1, 2025 (BSS) - The fact-checking body Rumor Scanner in an investigation today debunked an Indian media report which claimed Pakistani armed forces were patrolling Bangladesh.

It said in a report published on its website on Tuesday that the members of a force seen in a video content used in the news report of Aaj Tak Bangla, a Kolkata-based media, are actually members of the Crisis Response Team or CRT, a specialized team of the Bangladesh Police, not Pakistani armed force.

The fact-checking body said 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 in 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 by showing the said video, Rumor Scanner said.

In this video, it is seen that Bangladeshi lawyer Nijhum Majumdar is asked about this. 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 a scene 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 or CRT, a specialized team of the Bangladesh Police, it 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 forces members in the video. In addition, the Bangladesh flag can also be seen on the clothing of another member.

After reviewing the video, it was found that it is exactly the same as the video in question. In addition, the title of the video reveals that the video was recorded in the Rajshahi court premises and the name of the force seen in the video is Crisis Response Team or 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.

Jago News 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 or Crisis Response Team is a specialized team 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 specialized team of the police started its journey in Sylhet with a formal exercise after Chattogram and Rajshahi.

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