Security forces arrested more than 1,300 people as part of a nationwide joint forces operation known as “Operation Devil Hunt” in an effort to combat a new wave of violence in Bangladesh that targeted the homes of the family of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Awami League leaders.
The operation was started by the interim administration, which was headed by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, after student activists were hurt in violent skirmishes during an attack on an Awami League leader’s home in Gazipur, which lies outside of Dhaka. Later, mobs targeted Awami League symbols as the violence expanded throughout the nation.
The joint forces, which include army troops, police, and specialised units, have arrested 1,308 persons in connection with the violence and instability that has engulfed the country over the last four days.
As it enters its sixth month in office, the interim government has promised to seek out “all devils” attempting to cause unrest.
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Sheikh Hasina was deposed as Prime Minister in August 2024, at the height of violent riots that began as a student-led anti-quota campaign.
Following that, the Yunus government took over the country, resulting in ongoing violence between Hasina’s Awami League members and Yunus followers, primarily from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other organizations.
On Wednesday, thousands of protesters set fire to the home of Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the country’s autonomy movement and independence struggle from this location. This historic building was where Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
