Bangladesh's Army chief says soldiers to return to barracks after police resume operations

Dhaka: Bangladesh's Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said on Monday that soldiers will return to barracks once the police resume normal operations, as he met and reviewed the security situation with the interim government head Muhammad Yunus after police officers agreed to call off their strike and return to work.

Bangladesh descended into chaos last week after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India in a military aircraft while the Army stepped in to fill the power vacuum.

As the news of Hasina's departure spread, hundreds of people broke into her residence, vandalising and looting the interiors, providing dramatic expression to the anti-government protests that have killed more than 500 people in a fortnight.

On Monday, General Zaman said that soldiers will return to barracks once police resume normal operations. He made the comments while responding to questions from journalists at an event here.

He said there is improvement in the law and order situation in the country. "If the situation continues to improve, all regular forces will carry out their counter-terrorism operations,” he was quoted as saying by the United News of Bangladesh news agency.

Underlining that 30 crimes against minority communities have been committed in 20 districts of the country, he called upon the political parties to shun all violence and do politics for the people.

According to sources from the chief adviser's office, Yunus expressed his satisfaction with the significant improvement in the country's law and order situation. He praised the military for its active involvement in stabilising the situation.

Gen Zaman also held a meeting with senior government officials including the Khulna Divisional Administration, District Administration, DIG, and KMP Commissioner.

His remarks came after protesting police officers agreed to call off their strike after the interim government assured them to meet most of their demands.

The Bangladesh Police Subordinate Employees Association (BPSEA) declared the strike on August 6, following clashes across the country between police and students during the widespread protests against Hasina's government over a controversial quota system in jobs.

Almost all police stations across the country have now resumed their operations except those that were completely vandalised and necessary logistics damaged.

Operations of 628 police stations, out of 639, have resumed across the country today, the Daily Star newspaper reported, citing Police Headquarters.

Of these, 108 police stations out of 110 are functional in the metropolitan cities, while 520 police stations out of 529 are in districts, it said. However, it will be possible to start the activities of the other 11 police stations in the next 2-3 days, it added.

During the turmoil, most police stations in the country, including in Dhaka, had no police personnel. Multiple police officers have reported that over four hundred police stations across the country have experienced attacks, vandalism, arson, and looting.

A police headquarters official said that the police have not faced such a situation since 1971.

Many police personnel did not return to work out of fear after the government's fall, and those who did went to their police stations in plain clothes.

Newly-appointed Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed on Monday warned of stern action if anybody from the judiciary was found to be involved in any "misdeeds".

Speaking at a reception hosted by the Attorney General's Office and the Supreme Court Bar in the Appellate Division, Ahmed commemorated those killed in the student protests that resulted in the toppling of the government led by Sheikh Hasina last week.

"The students have sparked a great awakening against inequality. Due to the revolution of the students and the public, I have been entrusted with this responsibility, which I will carry out. At this moment, we are standing on the ruins. We have to start anew while standing on this destruction," he said.

The paper reported the chief justice warned that no irregularity would be tolerated in the judiciary.

He added that "stern action would be taken if anybody from the judiciary was found to be involved in any misdeeds as the policy of oppression that prevailed for so long instead of justice was now over." "I will work with devotion and honesty. I will do everything to establish justice in the society after the mass upheaval. Our sense of justice has been destroyed over the years," he said.

Ahmed was sworn in as Bangladesh’s new chief justice on Sunday, a day after Obaidul Hassan stepped down as the top judge.

On Monday, two deputy governors and the head of the Financial Intelligence Unit resigned following the directives from the interim government. Additionally, an adviser to the central bank has also submitted his resignation to the governor, the paper reported.

On Friday, Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder resigned, citing personal reasons. His resignation was part of a broader wave of departures from various institutions of the country following the fall of the Hasina government.

Interim government’s Home Affairs Adviser Brigadier Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain asked protesters to surrender by August 19 all illegal and unauthorised firearms, including the rifles looted from law enforcers during the recent violence.

Hussain said that if those arms were not returned to nearby police stations, then the authorities would undertake a search. If anyone is found in possession of unauthorised weapons, charges would be lodged against them, the paper reported.

He also suggested leaders of Hasina's Awami League to "re-organize" the party.

Businesses in Bangladesh are facing a liquidity crunch as the central bank has capped the withdrawal of cash from banks at Tk 2 lakh amidst uncertainty in the country.

Interim Finance and Planning Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Sunday also said that the limit on cash withdrawals was required given the current situation.

Businesses, especially those mainly dealing with cash transactions, said they would be in a tough situation if the cash crisis lingers and restrictions remain next week, the paper reported.

Earlier in the day, Yunus also held a meeting with secretaries from over two dozen ministries and reviewed the progress of various development projects being implemented across the country.