DHAKA — Since the formation of the interim government, the country has faced one conspiracy after another. The defeated forces had mounted an all-out effort to undermine the new government through various malicious activities. With those efforts having failed, the Awami League is now trying to seize the capital, Dhaka, sources said. As part of this plan, a number of leaders and activists have undergone what amounts to guerrilla training.
The main aim of the trained guerrilla force is to create a major state of chaos in the country and, on a green signal from the high command, to take control of Dhaka. As part of the master plan, thousands of listed leaders and activists are receiving training at home and abroad. A large part of the core group has already completed initial training.
Several members of this network recently arrested by police have provided startling information, according to multiple reliable government sources who confirmed the matter.
Sources said that, strikingly, a section of those who have received the training are retired government officials and staff who are now linked to Awami League politics. A number of leaders and activists of the banned Chhatra League have also undergone training. The training has been conducted in Delhi and Kolkata, as well as in Dhaka, Gopalganj and elsewhere in the country.
The Awami League plans to continue the training until it achieves final success. As part of this, 400 people were trained at a convention hall in the capital on July 8. During that training, various anti-government slogans were chanted at the convention center.
Sources said that, after receiving information about the training at the convention hall, units of law-enforcement agencies raided a residential area in the capital on July 13. Two people were arrested in the operation: Sohel Rana, 48, and Shamima Nasrin Shampa, 46. Sohel Rana’s father’s name is Abdus Sobhan Golondaj. His home is in Moupara village in the Taltali police station area of Barguna. He lives at a house on Road 18, Sector 11, in Uttara in the capital. The arrested Shampa’s husband, Ahaduzzaman, is a retired government official. His home is in Borashur village in the Kashiani police station area of Gopalganj. Her father’s home is in Bajra village in the Alfadanga police station area of Faridpur. Asked what was discussed at the training program, a source familiar with the matter who declined to be named said the arrested individuals had given a great deal of important information. That information is being verified, the source said. They said the main target was to take control of Dhaka. They were waiting for instructions from former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. According to the plan, as soon as the instruction came from Sheikh Hasina, thousands of listed leaders and activists from across the country would converge on Dhaka. They were all to gather at Shahbagh in the capital. By taking control of the Shahbagh intersection, they planned to create public panic and convey the message that several hundred thousand Awami League supporters had taken control of Dhaka and that the administration was with them. The impact would immediately be felt across the country. According to the plan, in several Awami League-dominated districts and other places, Awami League members at various levels would also find the courage to take to the streets.
All preparations to escalate large-scale clashes and chaos were to be set in advance. If they were able to create a serious situation in this way, the next step would be to start the process of quickly bringing Sheikh Hasina back from India. That decision was to be taken according to the situation and context at the time.
Asked about the matter, Kamrul Hasan, deputy commissioner of the Gulshan division of Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB), said: “This is a very large operation. In the interest of the investigation, nothing can be said about it at this moment. Let me organize things a little. I will speak later.” He said: “Not only the DB but several other agencies are working on this case.”
Another responsible source said the Awami League had changed its strategy after the matter was reported in the media. However, after learning of the Awami League’s anti-state efforts and its various conspiracies to topple the government, the government had decided on several measures to deal with the situation, including the quick arrest of those involved. First, the entire matter would be handled by a trusted team of law-enforcement agencies. Second, the matter would be kept secret until the entire network was arrested, so that no one involved could flee.
Home Affairs Adviser Lt. Gen. (retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury told reporters: “There is no risk of sabotage in the country. There is also no threat to security. Everything is under the control of law-enforcement agencies. To maintain the country’s security, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has launched a special operation.” On the 11-day special operation from July 29 to August 8 set out in a letter issued by the police Special Branch (SB), the adviser said: “This is not an operation for all of Bangladesh; DMP is conducting the operation on its own.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report