Bangladesh’s interim gov’t gives army judicial powers as drive to recover firearms launched

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh’s transitional government granted magistracy power to the military Tuesday for two months as law enforcement conducts drives to recover missing and illegal firearms.

Commissioned officers of the army have been given the power with immediate effect, according to a notification by the Ministry of Public Administration. With the power in effect under the Code of Criminal Procedure, the commissioned officers or magistrates are under the district magistrate.

On Sept. 4, a joint force consisting of the army, police, border security force, elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and others launched operations to recover firearms that were missing from police stations since an Aug. 5 student-led revolution in the country.

According to the police headquarters, 5,829 firearms and 606,742 rounds of ammunition were looted from police stations across the country. Of those, 34% had not been recovered yet.

Since the joint drives began, at least three people -- two from the former ruling party, the Awami League, and one from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) -- have died after they were detained by security forces.

Doctors examined them and told the media that there were injury marks on their bodies. However, the joint force, including the police, denied allegations of torture in custody.

The South Asian country remains in a volatile law and order situation as the police force, which was largely accused of violating human rights and opening fire during the recent protests, which forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India on Aug. 5, has not returned to work in full swing yet.

There is a lack of police activity, including in the capital Dhaka’s road traffic control.

At least 187 police officers still have not returned to work since the new government took office on Aug. 8, police headquarters said Tuesday.

On July 19, the former Hasina-led government deployed the army and imposed a curfew to control the student protest. The army remained on the streets to maintain law and order even after the transitional government took office.

More than 700 people were killed and 19,000 injured, including hundreds who lost their eyesight and arms and legs, according to the Health Ministry.