Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said no formal decision has been taken to launch any “joint operation” in the country, describing coordinated activities by law enforcement agencies as a regular process.
He said coordinated operations involving the police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Special Reserve Force (SRB) and Ansar are conducted regularly to combat crime, extortion and drug-related crimes and will be strengthened further.
The minister made the remarks at a press briefing on Thursday morning after unveiling the foundation plaque for the construction of a new headquarters of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) in Tejgaon, Dhaka.
Salahuddin said the long-standing aspiration of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP to have its own headquarters at a planned and suitable location was now being fulfilled.
The Ministry of Housing and Public Works of Bangladesh has allocated 3.428 acres, or around 11 bighas, of land for the construction of the headquarters, he said.
He said a modern and larger complex would be built at the site to address the space constraints and transport limitations of the existing headquarters in Khilgaon.
The minister said Bangladesh currently has around 20,000 battalion Ansar members and 60,000 attached Ansar members. In addition, around six million trained personnel operate under 35,000 VDP team leaders.
He described Ansar and VDP, combining regular and irregular personnel, as the country’s largest force.
To address accommodation shortages among Ansar personnel assigned to central duties, additional facilities, including dormitories and barracks, are being developed in Ashulia and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, he said.
Salahuddin praised the Ansar for its contributions to maintaining law and order during the July uprising and other national crises, and reiterated the government’s commitment to gradually meeting its financial and other demands.
Regarding law enforcement agencies, he said action was being taken against personnel found to have neglected their duties or been involved in criminal activities.
“Those found responsible are not merely withdrawn; appropriate departmental legal action is being taken, along with criminal cases where applicable,” he said.
“December is our month of victory. No evil force will be able to create any kind of instability in the country during this month,” the minister said.
On traffic management in Dhaka, Salahuddin said automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technology had been introduced to improve traffic management, allowing cases to be processed automatically and helping restore discipline on the roads.
He also said instructions had been issued to ensure that road excavation and construction work does not worsen traffic congestion. Agencies have been asked to carry out work in sections instead of excavating entire roads at once and to restore completed sections immediately.
