Bangladesh launches nationwide security clampdown as fresh unrest grips country

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, on Saturday imposed a nationwide security clampdown following renewed unrest after the shooting of a youth leader from a right-wing cultural organisation.

Sharif Osmann Hadi, leader of Inquilab Mancha and a candidate in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 12, was shot on Friday while launching his election campaign in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area. Doctors have described his condition as critical.

“The government will initiate the second phase of Operation Devil Hunt to ensure public safety and tackle the rising threat posed by illegal firearms,” Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said at a press briefing.

The interim administration first launched Operation Devil Hunt in February this year, following protests sparked by an attack on the private residence of a former minister in the northern suburbs of Dhaka. That operation focused on alleged supporters and “henchmen” of the now-defunct Awami League, led by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

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Home Adviser Chowdhury announced a reward of Taka 50 lakh (USD 40,985.81) for information leading to the arrest of one of the suspects who shot Hadi. Meanwhile, police issued the suspect’s pictures, identifying him as Faisal Karim Masud.

He was one of the three motorcycle-borne assailants who shot Hadi in the head from close range in Bijoynagar, where the youth leader is contesting as an independent candidate.

Newspaper reports quoting Hadi’s associates said the assailants were acquainted with him and had accompanied him since Friday morning, a day after the election commission announced the poll schedule.

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Hadi was initially rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) following the shooting, from where he was shifted overnight to the specialised Evercare Hospital.

“His (Hadi’s) condition is critical. He has been provided a life support system,” DMCH Director Brigadier General Mohammad Asaduzzaman told reporters earlier.

Doctors at Evercare said on Saturday that Hadi’s condition “remains static” but “not out of danger”, while the medical board formed for him preferred not to perform any surgery immediately, relying on medication and supportive treatment for now.

Chief Adviser Yunus ordered a manhunt for the suspects, and on Saturday met Hadi’s family members, assuring them of all support for his treatment.

“The whole country is praying for him, and everyone is trying to ensure that he receives the best medical care,” Yunus said.

Hadi was a frontline leader of last year’s student-led violent street protest dubbed the July Uprising, which toppled the Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5.

Home Adviser Chowdhury said the government had taken steps to ensure special security for the “frontline fighters” of the July Uprising, adding MP candidates would also be issued firearm licenses if they wanted. He said that candidates who earlier handed over their licensed weapons to the authorities, would be returned their arms.

Meanwhile, critically ill former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, as well as the Jamaat-e-Islami, and student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) strongly criticised the attack on Hadi.

NCP chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah, Hadi’s close comrade during and after the uprising, said, “There would be no place for fascists (Awami League) in Bangladesh, regardless of the name or platform under which they operate.”

“We take an oath in Osman Hadi’s blood – they will not be given even an inch of space in this country,” he told a protest rally.

The Inquilab Mancha spearheads a campaign to arrest “all terrorists” of the disbanded Awami League from the central to grassroots levels and ensure security of the “July warriors”.

It was at the forefront of a campaign to disband the Awami League, which the Yunus-led interim government did in May this year, disqualifying it from contesting the polls.

With inputs from agencies