Nearly two weeks after it was launched, Operation Devil Hunt in Bangladesh has, by some accounts, resulted in the arrest of a staggering 18,000 people, most if not many of them belonging to the former ruling party the Awami League. The operation is nationwide and involves not just the army and police, but also the navy, Coast Guard, and border guards.
Is that overkill considering the circumstances in which it was launched: the attack on the home of a former Awami League minister by students linked to the mass agitation that brought down Sheikh Hasina’s government last August? The attack triggered a response by Awami League supporters who, reports say, put them to flight injuring many in the process.
Basically, an attack by its people went wrong and the interim government may have seen a need to retaliate against the Awami League. Therefore Operation Devil Hunt. It was also convenient, enabling them to move against many in government, who are Awami League backers, and therefore enemies of the current dispensation.
At this point, it’s hard to say how long the operation will continue. The head of the interior ministry Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, was quoted as saying that the operations will continue “until we uproot the devils”. The Daily Star reported that the arrests are mainly Awami League members and its associate bodies. Many are accused in cases filed after the fall of the Hasina-led government on August 5.
But Choudhary says the devil “refers to evil forces. This operation is aimed at those who try to destabilise the country, break the law, engage in criminal activities, and commit acts of terrorism.”
Mohammad Yunus, the interim leader, has also rather hypocritically pitched in, calling for an end to the attacks on the properties of Sheikh Hasina and her party leaders. The BNP, which is pushing hard for elections in the expectation that it will win, has also been demanding an end to the “mob culture” that appears to have gripped the country. But when the mobs have the backing of the interim government, this culture may continue for some more time.
