Old videos circulate claiming army will not play effective role during lockdown
At least three videos have been spreading on Facebook with the claim that the Bangladesh Army has clearly stated it will not play any effective role in the Awami League’s “lockdown” program on November 13. But Dismislab’s fact-check shows that one of these videos is actually part of the Army Chief’s speech to journalists at Rajshahi Cantonment on August 13, 2024. The second video is from a press briefing by the army about an anti-terror operation in Sreepur, Gazipur. And the third is about the army’s month-old press briefing on taking 15 army officers into custody in cases related to enforced disappearances and crimes against humanity.
Claim 1
A 17-second video was posted from a personal Facebook profile on 12 November. The caption said, “Regarding the lockdown on the 13th, the army has clearly stated that they will not play any effective role. The army is already under various domestic and international pressures, so prepare without fear. On the 13th, the streets of Dhaka will be under our control, InshaAllah. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu. I said earlier that the army will remain inactive on the 13th. The army will no longer torture the Awami League. By tomorrow, our patriotic police brothers will also remain silent. All of you take to the streets without fear. Remember, this is our fight to survive. Our fight for freedom. Our fight to protect independence. May the lockdown on the 13th be successful.” (Text unchanged)
At the time of writing this report, the video had been viewed more than 25,000 times and shared nearly 200 times.
The same video was also shared from several other personal Facebook profiles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) with the same claim. In the video, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman is heard speaking about extrajudicial attacks. There is no connection between what he says and the post’s caption.
To verify the video, Dismislab ran a reverse image search and found a video on Somoy TV’s official Facebook page. The video was published on August 13 last year with the description, “Army will assist in a fair and neutral election: Army Chief.” The segment from 3:07 to 3:24 of the 4-minute-58-second video matches exactly with the viral clip. Several YouTube videos (1, 2, 3) also show the same speech of the Army Chief.
For further verification, Dismislab searched using relevant keywords, and found multiple news reports (1, 2, 3, 4) covering the same event. A Prothom Alo report from August 13, 2024 was titled, “We gave them shelter because their lives were under threat: Army Chief.” The report states that at a briefing in Rajshahi Cantonment, the Army Chief made these remarks in response to a question about taking ministers and MPs of the ousted Awami League government into army custody.
So, the Army Chief’s video is actually a clip from a speech given in August last year on a different issue. It has no relation to the Awami League’s Dhaka lockdown program scheduled for November 13, 2025.
Claim 2
A 13-second video was posted from a personal Facebook profile on November 10. The caption said, “Regarding the Dhaka lockdown on the 13th, the army has clearly stated that they will not play any effective role. The army is already under international pressure because they blocked Awami League rallies several times. If they do anything like that again, military sanctions will be imposed on them. So prepare without fear. On the 13th, the streets of Dhaka will be under our control, InshaAllah. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.” (Text unchanged)
The video has been viewed more than 70,000 times and shared 241 times.
The same video was also shared from several personal profiles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) with the same claim. In the video, an army officer wearing a nameplate reading “Lutfar” speaks about the Bangladesh Army acting in the interests of justice and the nation. Again, his statement has no link to the claim written in the caption.
A reverse image search using keyframes found a video on the YouTube channel of Dhaka Protidin. The video was published on November 7 this year with the description, “Army press briefing on counterterrorism operation in Sreepur, Gazipur.” The segment from 12 to 22 seconds of the 4-minute-19-second video matches the viral clip exactly. Several other video reports (1, 2, 3) also cover the same issue.
Further keyword searches by Dismislab showed multiple news outlets (1, 2, 3) had reported on the same event. A report by Jugantor on November 7 was titled, “Army alleges that misinformation is being spread regarding Enamul’s arrest.” The report states that the army claimed misinformation was being spread about the arrest of “identified terrorist” Enamul Haque Molla in Gazipur. In a press briefing at the army camp in Gazipur, the army stated that it always stands for justice and the nation. Lieutenant Colonel Md Lutfar Rahman made these remarks during the press briefing held on November 7 at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute army camp in Gazipur.
So, the officer’s statement is from a different event. It has no relation to the Awami League’s Dhaka lockdown on November 13.
Claim 3
A 15-second video was posted from a Facebook page on the night of November 11. The caption used the same false claim as the previous two posts, “Regarding the Dhaka lockdown on the 13th, the army has clearly stated that they will not play any effective role. The army is already under international pressure because they blocked Awami League rallies several times. If they do anything like that again, military sanctions will be imposed on them. So prepare without fear. On the 13th, the streets of Dhaka will be under our control, InshaAllah. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.” (Text unchanged)
The video has been viewed nearly 700,000 times and shared more than 1,500 times.
The same video was posted from several other personal profiles and pages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) with the same claim.
In the video, an army officer wearing a nameplate that reads “Zaman” is heard saying, “Bangladesh Army wants to clearly say that they will always stand on the side of justice. There will be no compromise with fairness. Whatever is just, the Bangladesh Army will always firmly stand by that.”
Again, the officer’s words do not match the claim written in the caption.
A reverse image search of the keyframes led to a video on Ekushey Television’s verified YouTube channel. The description of the video, published on October 11 this year, reads, “The army has taken 15 of the 25 officers into custody.” The viral clip matches exactly with the segment from 27:21 to 27:44 of the 44-minute-8-second press briefing. Several other reports (1, 2, 3) on the same issue were found on YouTube.
Further keyword searches showed multiple news reports (1, 2, 3, 4) on the same matter.
According to a report by Ajker Patrika, 15 active-duty army officers out of the 25 accused in cases of enforced disappearances and crimes against humanity who are also under arrest warrants from the International Crimes Tribunal are currently in army custody. At a press briefing on October 11 this year, the army’s Adjutant General, Major General Md Hakimuzzaman, said that action is being taken against the accused under the law.
So, a 24-second clip from Major General Md Hakimuzzaman’s press conference is being edited and circulated with the false claim that the army will not play any effective role in the Dhaka lockdown program.
It should be noted that Lieutenant General (retd.) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, the Advisor on Home Affairs, has already said that the army will be deployed on the ground during the “Dhaka Lockdown” program called by the Awami League on 13 November.
