10 things about Bangladesh Ansar Bahini, the daily wage force demanding job nationalisation

After violent clashes on Sunday between Ansar members and students near the Bangladesh Secretariat, the force’s role is now under intense scrutiny.

The Ansar protests began on Wednesday, demanding job nationalisation and the abolition of a rest policy that leaves members unpaid during a mandatory six-month leave after three years of service.

Sunday’s protest started outside the National Press Club and led to road closures and attempts to enter the Secretariat, which were blocked. A meeting with Home Adviser Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury resulted in a commitment to abolish the rest policy and review other demands.

Despite this, protests continued, blocking the Secretariat and leading to clashes around 9:45pm, injuring about 40 people from both sides.

Here’s what the force is all about:

More from World

Nepal's new PM pays homage to people died during the Gen Z protest in her first national address This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal

• Administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force, also known as the Ansar Bahini, is a paramilitary auxiliary force responsible for the preservation of internal security and law enforcement in Bangladesh

• The force comprises approximately six million members, organised into three main divisions: General Ansar Forces, Battalion Ansar and Village Defence Team (VDP)

• General Ansar members totaling 70,000 do not get any salary from the government. They receive Tk 540 per day only while deployed, with rations provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

• Besides General Ansars, there are around 17,000 regular members in the force called the Battalion Ansar. The force has also around 570,000 VDP members, whose jobs are volunteer-based.

• On average, the Ansar and VDP headquarters receive a deployment requisition for 55,000 for different institutes or government offices around the year

• The Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party is the country’s largest community-based disciplined forces

• The force is headed by a director general. The current Ansar chief is Major General Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud.

• The director general functions from the Bangladesh Ansar headquarters, located in Khilgaon, Dhaka

• The Ansar force was established on February 12, 1948, with the Ansar Act approved by the East Bengal Legislative Assembly. The act came into effect on June 17, 1948.

• During the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war, Ansar members were deployed to defend the country’s border posts.

With inputs from agencies