Operation Devil Hunt () is an ongoing operation launched by the

Yunus interim government An Interim government system of Bangladesh, interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024 in Bangladesh, following the resignation of Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 amid Studen ...

since 8 February 2025 following

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

over a violent attack on students and civilians in

Gazipur Gazipur () is a city in central Bangladesh. Located in Gazipur District in Dhaka Division, it is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh, with 75% of all garment industries situated there. ...

on 7 February. The operation hunts down supporters of

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

Background

On February 8, 2025, at 1:30 PM ( BST; 7:30 AM

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

), the Dhirashram area of

Gazipur District Gazipur District () is a district in central Bangladesh, that is part of the Dhaka Division. It has an area of 1806.36 km2. It is the home district of Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh and has been a prominent centre o ...

would erupt in protests led by the Anti-discrimination Students Movement over the beatings of at least 20 students last night by people that are alleged to have connections to the

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

. At around 4:00 PM (BST; 10:00 AM UTC), the government would launch the nationwide "Operation Devil Hunt" in compliance with the protesters. At around 6:00 PM (BST; 12:00 PM UTC), Sarjis Alam would be informed that so far 16 individuals had been arrested, Alam would then give a speech threatening the government with a second revolution if they attack the protesters and that if the government fails to arrest the perpetrators by night, then they will have to face the protesters once more. Anti-discrimination Students Movement launched an attack on the house of AKM Mozammel Haque, former Minister of Liberation War Affairs in the cabinet of

, as a part of the Bulldozer March. During this demonstration, a person at a local mosque announced people were attacking the former Minister's home, leading locals to counter-attack the demonstrators, causing 15 to be injured, and one of them later died in hospital. It was part of a wave of attacks targeting homes of Awami League leaders, while chanting "Delhi or Dhaka — Dhaka, Dhaka" and slogans against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's cult of personality. The home of former President

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

, the Dhanmondi 32 no. residence, was destroyed and the personal home of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sudha Sadan, was burned down. The home of former Minister Zahid Ahsan Russel, along with the homes of his family members associated with the Awami League were also attacked by protesters in Gazipur. A mural of Ahsanullah Master, Zahid's father, was also destroyed during this attack. The Jatiya Nagorik Committee and the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement gave 24 hours to detain those who attacked the students at home of Haque. They demanded the cancellation of the registration of Awami League and confiscation of the properties of its leaders. The training secretary of Gazipur Metropolitan unit of

Islami Chhatra Shibir Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir, commonly known as Chhatrashibir or Shibir, is an Islamic student organisation in Bangladesh. It was established in 1977 as the successor to the East Pakistani faction of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba colloquially known ...

, Haider Ali, called for the detention of the attackers as well. They called for removing the

Adviser An adviser or advisor is normally a person with more and deeper knowledge in a specific area and usually also includes persons with cross-functional and multidisciplinary expertise. An adviser's role is that of a mentor or guide and differs catego ...

of the

Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

, and civil and police officers in Gazipur District. Lt. Gen. (retd.)

Jahangir Alam Chowdhury Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (born 2 February 1953) is a retired three star general of the Bangladesh Army and former director general of the Bangladesh Rifles. As of 16 August 2024, Chowdhury has been designated as an adviser of the Interim Govern ...

, adviser of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said, "No one involved in the attack on the students will be spared. We are taking legal action against them. All responsible for the attack will be exposed to justice," at the

Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public university, public medical school, medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a Tertiary referral hospital, ...

while visiting the injured. The office-in-charge of the local police station was suspended, and the commissioner of

Gazipur Metropolitan Police Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) is the chief law enforcement agency in Gazipur, Bangladesh. It was established in 2018 under the ''Gazipur Metropolitan Police Ordinance'' approved by the government of Bangladesh. Nazmul Karim Khan is the Commis ...

, Nazmul Karim Khan, offered his apology.

Operation

On 9 February, 83 people, including Awami League politicians and members, were detained in the Gazipur District. In total, 1,308 people were arrested across Bangladesh. 343 more people were arrested from various parts of Bangladesh the following day. 607 people were detained on the third day, taking a total number of detainees to more than two thousand. A total of 11,313 people were arrested in the ongoing operation in February. By March, more than 12 thousand people were detained across Bangladesh.

Reaction

The Jatiya Party (E) accused that the operation was a "suppression of dissent" and alleged that their leaders were being charged on false charges while their homes were being attacked and destroyed.

References

{{reflist 2025 in Dhaka Battles in 2025 February 2025 in Bangladesh History of the Awami League Military history of Dhaka History of Bangladesh (1971–present) Yunus interim government

Background

Operation

Reaction

See also

References