New Delhi: Bangladesh’s interim government Saturday launched a major security operation in response to attacks on protesters, allegedly carried out by supporters of the ousted regime of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party. ‘Operation Devil Hunt’ has led to the arrests of Awami League members and former member of Bangladesh Parliament, Chayan Islam.
Over 1,300 people were detained in two days after the launch. Gazipur Police made at least 100 arrests Sunday.
According to a Dhaka Tribune report, 21 individuals were detained from five police stations in Gazipur district, while 79 others were arrested in the metropolitan area Sunday night. It was confirmed Monday that all of them were from Awami League.
Superintendent of Police Dr Chowdhury Md Zaber Sadeque confirmed that Chayan Islam, former MP of Sirajganj-6, was detained from Sreepur upazila where he was hiding, Dhaka Tribune reported.
Launched right after the completion of six months of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, the operation aims to restore order and ensure public safety across the country.
The interim government, which took power after Hasina’s ouster in August 2024 following a student-led uprising, seeks to continue the operation until “every devil”—referring to those believed to be destabilising the country—is brought to justice, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, head of the home ministry, told local media.
The development comes after violent incidents following a speech by Hasina last week. Following her broadcast, student protesters, part of the Students Against Discrimination group—who led the anti-quota protests—initiated their “Bulldozer Programme”, which led to bulldozing and setting fire to the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation’s founding father, in Dhanmondi 32.
Protesters continued to target the properties of Awami League leaders and workers. Several homes, including those of former president Abdul Hamid and former Bangladeshi army chief Moeen U. Ahmed, were attacked, vandalised and set on fire. Murals and busts of Mujibur Rahman were also destroyed across various districts.
The violence escalated, when clashes erupted in Gazipur district Friday night during the vandalism, injuring nearly 15 students. The violence occurred after locals allegedly falsely announced the arrival of robbers, when the students moved towards the residence of Hasina’s Liberation War Affairs Minister Mozammel Haq, local media reported.
“Announcements were made from all mosques that the house of Mozammel Haq was being robbed. As soon as the students reached there, they were locked inside and beaten up by men wielding sharp weapons, sticks and clubs. Some 10-15 students ran to the roofs and jumped down to save their lives,” Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Manab Zamin quoted one of the students as saying.
What is Operation Devil Hunt?
The initiative was launched in response to the attack, following a 24-hour ultimatum from the students demanding the capture of those behind the attack. Gazipur Police then proceeded to arrest 40 leaders and activists of the Awami League.
Dr Nasimul Gani, senior secretary of home ministry, said that the operation’s primary objective is to apprehend those attempting to destabilise the nation and bring them to justice.
“Unlike the defeated fascist forces, we could not be inhumane or ruthless, as the movements and uprisings in July and August were fought for human rights,” he said at a press conference.
Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam said that for the past five months, law enforcement agencies have been carrying out operations independently, while coordinating their efforts on the ground. In contrast, the newly launched nationwide operation, which began Saturday, will be centrally organised and managed from a dedicated control hub, he added.
“While various agencies have operated separately in the field and later coordinated their actions during the existing joint operation, Operation Devil Hunt will be centrally coordinated and overseen from a control room.”
He added that the new operation will cover a much broader scope, involving not only the police, but also personnel from the Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar and the Coast Guard.
‘Misplaced title, show of force’
However, analysts are sceptical. While the operation is being seen as a “pre-emptive move”, the name itself is being viewed as “misplaced and misleading”.
“The difference between Hasina’s crackdowns and Yunus’s is that till now, no extrajudicial killings have taken place—something Hasina was infamous for. In 2018, under her War on Drugs operation, she mercilessly killed at least 450 people,” Dr. Mubashar Hasan, political analyst and executive director of Sydney Policy and Analysis Centre in Australia, told ThePrint.
“The Yunus govt has initiated this operation as a preemptive move. However, only Awami League leaders being arrested does seem pedantic. Moreover, the title is misplaced and misleading and gives a wrong message about Yunus’s intention.”
However, he is hopeful that Yunus will not set a precedent of legal overreach like Hasina.
“Probably there was a need for it since students are extremely angry and fearful of Hasina’s return as data shows that no other leader has committed this number of civilian killings in the history of Bangladesh. However, legal overreach should not be normalised like during Hasina’s time and everything should be according to international laws”, Hasan said.
Bangladeshi publications, too, are cautioning against “a show of force to curb crime and tension”.
“The festering polarisation and rising extremism threaten to undermine the very ideals that fuelled the July uprising. The resulting chaos—readily exploited by criminal elements—cannot be neutralised by force alone,” Daily Star noted in an editorial piece.
source : theprint