Home Affairs Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said that 50% of Bangladesh Army personnel currently deployed in the field to maintain law and order will not be withdrawn.
He made the statement while responding to questions from reporters after a core committee meeting on law and order at the Secretariat on Sunday afternoon.
“The army will remain deployed as before. They are not being withdrawn,” the adviser said.
He added that the law and order situation is fully under control and that there is no security threat at present.
Regarding the “Dhaka Lockdown” program announced by the Awami League for November 13, the adviser said: “The government is ready. All necessary measures have been taken to protect the lives and property of the people. No instability will be allowed.”
Earlier on November 5, several media outlets reported that 50% of army personnel deployed in the field might be temporarily withdrawn for rest and election-related training.
In response, Brigadier General Dewan Mohammad Manzur Hossain, director of the Military Operations Directorate (MOD), told a press conference at the Army Headquarters that day: “We have received a letter regarding the withdrawal. Necessary steps will be taken based on the law and order situation.”
He said the Bangladesh Army has been assisting the civil administration in maintaining law and order for the past 15 months, alongside conducting drives to recover stolen weapons and ammunition and arrest identified criminals.
Following the July 2024 mass uprising, army personnel have continued to support the administration across the country under the interim government. However, when reports of troop withdrawal surfaced on social media, it triggered widespread rumours and confusion.
Later, government authorities clarified that the army will remain deployed in the field to assist the civilian administration in maintaining law and order.
Reaffirming this stance, Home Affairs Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said no army personnel will be withdrawn, adding that security measures have been reinforced ahead of the November 13 Dhaka Lockdown program and no instability will be tolerated.