At least 1,308 people, mostly leaders and activists of the Awami League, were arrested across the country on Sunday, the first day of the Operation Devil Hunt aiming at restoring the country鈥檚 law and order.
Of the arrestees, 274 were arrested at places in the metropolitan areas and 1,034 others were arrested at places in other areas across the country between midnight past Saturday and Sunday noon, officials at the police headquarters said.
The officials said that most of the arrestees in the police-led joint force鈥檚 operation were AL leaders and activists.
They, however, could not give details regarding the number of arrests in specific cities and districts.
The government announced to launch Operation Devil Hunt on Saturday in the backdrop of Friday鈥檚 violent attack on students and people, who were active in July-August mass uprising, in Gazipur Friday night. The incident left 15 students injured.
Meanwhile, the government on Sunday established a command centre to monitor the country鈥簊 law and order situation intensively.
Talking to reporters after inaugurating the newly-built 鈥楳rittika Bhaban鈥� at the Soil Resource Development Institute in Dhaka on Sunday, home adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that the 鈥極peration Devil Hunt鈥� would continue across the country until finishing the devils.
鈥楾he operation will target the individuals who are desperate to destabilise the country,鈥� he said.
He said that many of those who attacked the students and the citizens in Gazipur had already been brought to book, and the rest would be held soon.
Many AL leaders in Dhaka as elsewhere in the country are on the run to avoid arrest since Saturday night, hours after the home ministry on the day announced to launch the operation.
The incident in Gazipur took place Friday evening when people, including members of Student Against Discrimination, attempted an attack on the house of former liberation war affairs minister and AL leader Mozammel Haque in the city.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Gazipur, quoting police officials, reported that at least 83 people, mostly AL leaders and activists, were arrested at places in Gazipur city and upazilas in the district during the operation.
A case was filed with Gazipur Sadar police station on Sunday mentioning names of 239 people and 200-300 other unnamed people as accused over the attack on the members of the Students against Discrimination and 34 of the accused persons were arrested till Sunday afternoon, said Gazipur Sadar police station inspector Siddiq Hossain.
He said that no case was filed over Saturday鈥檚 shooting at Mobassher Hossain, a member of the Student Aginst Discrimination, in front of the Gazipur deputy commissioner鈥檚 office.
A total of 19 leaders and activists of the AL were arrested at places in Chattogram city, 抖阴精品 staff correspondent in Chattogram, quoting the police, reported.
In Gazipur, Many AL leaders and activists and their families in Dhirashram and Dakshingram areas in Gazipur city left home leaving only elderly women following Friday evening鈥檚 attack.
Most of the AL leaders in Gazipur went in hiding.
Of the arrestees in Gazipur, 43 people were arrested at places in the city, 10 from Shreepur upazila, 11 from Kapsia upazila, nine from Sadar upazila, three from Kaliakair upazila and seven from Kaliganj upazila, the police said.
A joint forces team arrested five people at places under Hatia upazila in Noakhali, said an Inter Services Public Relation Directorate press release.
The police arrested four activists of banned student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League at places under Khagrachhari鈥檚 Guimara upazila on Sunday, United News of Bangladesh reported.
In Thakurgaon, police arrested 15 AL leaders and activists during the operation, said another UNB report.
Speaking about the newly formed command centre at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy, chief adviser鈥簊 press secretary Shafiqul Alam said that the members of the law enforcement agencies and representatives from the Armed Forces would work at the command centre.
鈥榃e hope that following the establishment of the centre, the law and order situation will improve and quick response can be carried out to any threat,鈥� state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha quoted Shafiqul as saying.
On February 3, chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus asked for creating a 鈥筩ommand centre鈥� for monitoring the country鈥簊 law and order situation intensively.
Speaking about the operations at a press briefing at the conference room of the home ministry, the ministry鈥檚 senior secretary Nasimul Gani said, 鈥楶olice is mainly leading the Operation Devil Hunt while the Bangladesh Army is helping them.鈥�
He said that they had sketched out several plans to work in such a situation and the Operation Devil Hunt was one of the ongoing steps.
A spate of attacks was carried out on the house of Awami League leaders, party offices, and the murals and portraits of the country鈥檚 founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and his daughter deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina since Wednesday when the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum building at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka was razed to the ground.
The chaotic situation began when different groups on their social media platforms called on people to join the 鈥楤ulldozer procession鈥� to demolish the Dhanmondi 32 building as Sheikh Hasina, now sheltered in India, was scheduled to address the country鈥檚 student community online on Wednesday late evening.
On September 4, the joint forces began another drive across the country to recover illegal firearms.
According to the home ministry, 5,818 firearms belonging to the law enforcement forces were looted during the July-August student-mass uprising and in the aftermath of the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5.
Officials at the police headquarters said that they had lost 5,750 various types of firearms to the looters and recovered 4,358 of them till January 16 through joint drives.
