Dhaka Police claimed on Wednesday that thousands of guns, including those taken during the violent disturbances that resulted in the overthrow of dictatorial leader Sheikh Hasina, are being recovered by Bangladeshi security forces.
After weeks of student-led protests that turned into widespread rallies, Hasina fled by helicopter to neighboring India on August 5, 15 years after taking office. After police attempted to quell the demonstrations with shooting, the demonstrators stormed and looted police stations after guns were taken. Following Hasina’s downfall, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is currently in charge of an interim administration.
The gun amnesty that ended on Tuesday resulted in the recovery of more than 3,700 weapons of various varieties. Nevertheless, hundreds of tear gas canisters, stun grenades, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and more than 2,000 weapons—including rifles—are gone.
Senior police officer Enamul Haque Sagor declared, “Those arms which have not been submitted to the police stations within the deadline […] the looted arms will be considered illegal.” The weapons sweep is being conducted by the army, police, and other security force units, such as the paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Ansar forces.
According to Dhaka deputy police commissioner Obaid ur Rahman, two previous top police officers have also been arrested and held on detention in relation to the brutal suppression of the protesters. Although formal charges have not yet been filed, both individuals are accused of murder.
