Bangladesh’s army has recovered 6,000 guns that were stolen during the student-led bloody revolution in August that forced prime minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the nation.
The army on Wednesday said it arrested 2,500 people for allegedly looting thousands of weapons during the deadly protests and in the aftermath of unrest.
Intekhab Haider Khan, the Colonel Staff of the Directorate of Military Operation, said 6,000 weapons were recovered along with 200,000 rounds of ammunition. The operation to recover illegally held firearms was still ongoing, he told reporters.
The Bangladesh army in September had recovered 3,700 weapons of different varieties during an amnesty to surrender guns.
The military was given magistracy powers on 17 September to address instability across the country in the days following the month-long unrest.
The interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus said more than 1,000 people were killed in the violent agitation in capital Dhaka. The death toll included children, law enforcement agents and journalists.
Police in Bangladesh were accused of using lethal force to contain the protests before stepping back in the wake of the prime minister’s ouster.
“More than 400 students and members of the general public have lost their sight,” said Nurjahan Behun, the health adviser in the interim government.
Colonel Intekhab on Wednesday said the military has managed to control over 700 violent incidents, which included 141 instances in educational institutions, 86 in government offices, and 98 political conflicts. “In most cases, our timely measurers had helped prevent many unpleasant situations including losses of life and properties,” he told reporters.
He said more than 700 drug dealers or people associated with drug trading have been arrested and large quantities of banned substances have been recovered.
The army is “highly conscious” of upholding human rights and preventing “extrajudicial killings was a top priority” under orders from the government, he added.
Bangladesh’s interim government last week said it would request Interpol to bring back the ousted prime minister from India to face trial for “crime against humanity”.
“Those responsible for the indiscriminate killings during the mass uprising in July and August will be brought back from wherever they have taken refuge”, law advisor Asif Nazrul said on Sunday.
