1,308 nabbed as Operation Devil Hunt set to continue ‘as long as necessary’
Command centre established; Fakhrul hails the drive
- 274 held from metropolitan areas, 1,034 from other places
- Case filed over Friday night's incident in Gazipur
- 81 AL leaders, activists held in the distric
- Joint Forces detain seven AL leaders in Hatia
Security forces arrested 1,308 individuals across the country today as part of the ongoing "Operation Devil Hunt" as Home Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said the special security drive will continue until all "devils" are exposed to justice and "not a single devil should be left out".
Of the arrested, 274 were held from metropolitan areas, while 1,034 were arrested from other areas, said Enamul Haque Sagar, assistant inspector general (media and PR) at the Police Headquarters.
In Gazipur, 81 leaders and activists of Awami League and its affiliated organisations were arrested. In Cumilla, three individuals, affiliated with AL and its associate bodies, were arrested by police.
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Joint forces also detained seven AL leaders, including a union parishad chairman, during separate drives at various areas in Noakhali's Hatia upazila. The operation is also ongoing in Rajshahi with multiple checkpoints set up across the city.
TBS correspondents from different districts, including Chattogram, reported that drives under Operation Devil Hunt were yet to begin in their respective areas.
The government on Saturday launched the nationwide operation aiming to curb unrest and ensure public safety following an attack on students and civilians in Gazipur Friday night that left at least 15 people injured.
Home Adviser Md Jahangir also said the operation will continue targeting those who attempt to destabilise the country, disobeying the law as anarchists.
"Many of those who attacked the students and the public in Gazipur have been brought to book. The rest will soon be exposed to justice," he told the media at an event yesterday.
Later at a press briefing in the afternoon, Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry Nasimul Ghani said the operation will continue as long as necessary.
"Our target is to neutralise the pockets from where attempts are being made to destabilise the country," he said at a press briefing on the operation.
Command centre beings work
A command centre, established to intensively monitor the country's law and order situation, started its work, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said.
"The Operation Devil Hunt began today...to coordinate the work of law enforcing agencies, the command centre is going to start its work from 6pm tomorrow," he told a press briefing.
Alam said the members of the law enforcement agencies and representatives of armed forces will work at the command centre.
The command centre has been set up at the Police Headquarters under the Ministry of Home Affairs. There are representatives from various forces. It is being coordinated by Additional IGP Abu Naser Mohammad Khaled.
On 3 February, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus directed the police and law enforcement agencies to create a command centre to intensively monitor the law-and-order situation in the country.
The chief adviser said the new command structure would "skillfully and intensively" communicate with all security agencies and police stations across the country.
Fakhrul hails operation
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has appreciated the interim government for launching the operation.
He said, "We know fascists are devils…it seems good sense has prevailed upon them (interim govt) after so long. That is why we thank them," he told the media, shortly after his return from the US.
He said the nation should move slowly to ensure the success of the interim government and called upon all to unite and work together to protect the country's independence and sovereignty, maintain stability, and continue efforts to establish democracy.
Case filed in Gazipur
A case has been filed with Gazipur Sadar Metro Police Station yesterday over the incident on Friday night. Md Abdullah, convener of the anti-discrimination student movement's Gazipur district unit filed the case.
The case names 239 individuals and includes 200-300 unnamed suspects. The primary accused is Amjad Hossain Molla, a member of the Awami League and the former Liberation War Affairs Minister Mozammel Haque's nephew.
Meanwhile, locals in Gazipur are questioning the incident, especially given that the main gate of the minister's house remains intact, and several windows are undamaged, raising doubts about the alleged vandalism. People claim they have not seen any signs of forced entry or looting.
A local, Abdus Samad, suggested that the minister's relatives might be involved. Another resident, Tashlim, also said that after hearing the former minister's home was being attacked, he locked himself in his house, only to find the injured students outside later.
The minister's nephew, Abu Taher, was found standing by the street near the house. He claimed that his two sons were arrested in connection with the attack, though he denied knowing details about the events
