Amid escalating tensions in Bangladesh, sparked by recent violence against minority communities, especially Hindus, the country has witnessed widespread protests and clashes. The government has faced criticism over its handling of the situation, and tensions between religious communities continue to rise (here and here). In this context, India has strongly condemned the attacks and even offered shelter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (here and here). Meanwhile, a post (here and here) has gone viral on social media, claiming that a group of army tankers was spotted heading towards India. Let’s verify the truth behind this claim.
Claim: A group of war tankers is moving to the Indian border from Bangladesh
Fact: The viral photo originates from 2012 and shows the Bangladesh Army parade featuring fourth-generation China-made MBT-2000 main battle tanks. The then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced this milestone on 13 December 2012. While both India and Bangladesh are currently strengthening border security amidst ongoing tensions, this photo is unrelated to the recent crisis in Bangladesh. Therefore, the claim is MISLEADING.
To find the truth behind this claim, we conducted a reverse image search, which led us to a blog named Chinese Military Review. The blog featured the same photo that is going viral, captioned as “Bangladesh Army’s MBT-2000 Victory Day 2012 parade.”
Further investigation using the keywords from the ‘Chinese Military Review’ blog led us to a report from the Army Recognition website, dated 17 December 2012. The report states that the Bangladesh Army had begun introducing the fourth-generation China-made MBT-2000 main battle tanks, which were procured through an outright purchase. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced this milestone on 13 December 2012, during an induction ceremony for the Army Aviation Group at Tejgaon. The tanks, part of an order for 44 MBT-2000s worth $162 million, were introduced in 2012 to enhance Bangladesh’s military capabilities. This purchase marked the first time the country acquired newly assembled main battle tanks, significantly boosting its armoured corps.
We also found that the Bangladesh news outlet Prothom Alo used the same viral photo on 07 March 2018, in a report about Bangladesh ranked 57th in the list of strongest military forces. This further confirms that the photo is not recent. Additionally, several Bangladeshi fact-checkers (here, here and here) have debunked the photo on the same viral claim, confirming it dates back to 2012.
Meanwhile, as tensions escalate between Bangladesh and India, both countries have been strengthening border security. Reports (here and here) indicate that Bangladesh is using Turkish drones for surveillance along the border. However, the viral photo of military tankers has no connection to the current crisis or the ongoing border security situation.
To sum up, an old photo from the 2012 tanker parade of Bangladesh is falsely shared as a recent move by Bangladesh towards the Indian border.
