The Bangladesh Army has detained more than 10,000 individuals across Bangladesh following its deployment, as part of an ongoing effort to assist law enforcement agencies in maintaining law and order.
A total of 2,188 individuals were detained in the last month alone during joint drives with other agencies, a senior army official familiar with the matter told Dhaka Tribune on Saturday morning.
The official said that the army has intensified its patrolling and joint operations nationwide, resulting in a significant increase in the number of detainees.
Dhaka Tribune has obtained recent video footage of army activities, which shows personnel actively patrolling several areas across the country using Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) and army jeeps.
On April 17, Colonel Shafiqul Islam, staff colonel at the Directorate of Military Operations, Army Headquarters, told the media that 2,457 people had been detained in the two months leading up to mid-April during joint drives with other agencies.
Since then, from mid-April to mid-May, the army has detained over 2,000 more—matching the number from the previous two months.
Earlier, a press release from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the army, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, arrested 258 individuals during nationwide joint operations conducted over the week from May 15 to Wednesday.
In July last year, during the July uprising, the Awami League government deployed the army and imposed a nationwide curfew.
The government was eventually overthrown on August 5 amid the unrest.
An interim government, led by Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus, was sworn in on August 8.
Troops remain deployed across the country to maintain public safety amid the ongoing situation.
