Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
Hordes of suspects have been rounded up in a countrywide anticrime crackdown codenamed 'Operation Devil Hunt' launched after the Gazipur mayhem amid spells of unrest in the post-uprising period.
Media reports quoted sources at the police headquarters as saying that a total of over a thousand persons had been held since the joint operation was launched on Saturday night.
Home Affairs Adviser of the interim government Lt-General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said Sunday that the ongoing Operation Devil Hunt "will continue until all threats to the nation's stability are eliminated".
He made the remarks while talking to reporters after inaugurating the newly-built 'Mrittika Bhaban' at the Soil Resource Development Institute in Khamarbari area in the capital.
He said many suspects involved in the violent attacks on students and citizens in Gazipur on Friday (Feb 07) had already been arrested.
"More will be detained soon," said the home adviser, in the wake of an ultimatum from the student vanguards who had spearheaded the July-August uprising that topped former premier Sheikh Hasina on charges of misrule.
The joint operation was launched following a violent attack on students at the residence of former minister AKM Mozammel Haque on Friday night.
Referring to the joint forces' special operation, the home adviser said, "Those who attempt to destabilise the country will be arrested…those who violate the law-- miscreants, and terrorists-will be arrested."
Meanwhile, senior secretary of the ministry of home affairs Nasimul Gani said on the day that "no country allows defeated forces to remain after a revolution".
He made the comments to the media after meeting on the Operation Devil Hunt at the ministry of home affairs. The Home Adviser was present. He said the Operation Devil Hunt specifically targets those attempting to destabilise the country.
Explaining the logic behind the launching of Operation Devil Hunt across the country, he said the defeated forces in the country where revolution happened are/were not allowed to remain. He clarified that the interim government has not been 'inhumane' in its approach to dealing with disruptive elements.
"We have several ongoing plans, some of which will be reviewed in the coming days. Operation Devil Hunt is one such initiative that started Saturday," the official stated.
Elaborating on the Operation Devil Hunt he said, "This is a coordinated effort where multiple security forces are working together in a focused manner. Any attempt to disrupt national stability will be neutralised and legal measures will be taken where necessary."
The Gazipur attacks left several people injured, including students. About the aims of the Operation Devil Hunt he said, "In countries where revolutions occur, the defeated forces are not allowed to remain. However, the government has not been inhumane in its actions.
"We have made some reforms and recognised that certain individuals supported the previous government out of fear, duress, or other circumstances. The diehard supporters have fled, and action is being taken against them."
He said the interim government observed frequent attempts from a quarter to destabilise the country.
"We have observed random attempts to destabilise the country. This operation ensures that such efforts do not continue and that public sentiment remains calm. It is a more focused approach to addressing the situation."
He said the police are taking the lead, while the army is providing assistance. Operation Devil Hunt is being carried out in coordination with joint forces.
He wouldn't disclose the number of individuals arrested since the operation began.
Inspector-General of Police Baharul Alam said the Armed Forces, along with members of the police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar, and Coast Guard, are conducting the operation jointly.
Meanwhile, a total of 40 people have been arrested in Gazipur as part of Operation Devil Hunt, according to Gazipur District Superintendent of Police (SP) office sources. Later reports, however, gave higher figures.
The arrests were made during an overnight (early Sunday) operation conducted by the district police. A high official of the district police said that those arrested were in various ways associated with the "fallen fascist government".
Meanwhile, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, said a command centre established to monitor intensively the country's law-and-order situation started its work on Sunday evening.
"The Operation Devil Hunt began yesterday...to coordinate the works of law- enforcing agencies, the command centre is going to start its work from 6:00 pm today," he told a press briefing.