No formal decision taken on joint operations, says Home Minister
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said no formal decision has been taken to launch joint operations in the country.
“Coordinated activities by law enforcement agencies are a regular process,” he said, adding that the police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Ansar regularly conduct coordinated operations to curb terrorism, extortion and drug-related crimes.
The minister made the remarks at a press briefing on Thursday morning after unveiling the foundation plaque for the construction of the new headquarters of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area.
Salahuddin said the new headquarters would fulfil a long-standing demand of the Ansar and VDP for a larger and more suitable facility.
The Public Works Ministry has allocated 3.428 acres, or around 11 bighas, of land for the project. The new complex will address space constraints at the existing headquarters in Khilgaon and improve transportation and other facilities, he said.
The minister said Bangladesh currently has around 20,000 battalion Ansar members and 60,000 embodied Ansar members. In addition, around six million trained personnel are organised under 35,000 VDP team leaders.
He said additional accommodation facilities, including dormitories and barracks, are being developed in Ashulia and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to address housing shortages among centrally deployed Ansar members.
Salahuddin praised the Ansar force for its role in maintaining law and order and responding to national crises, including the July mass uprising. He also reaffirmed the government's commitment to gradually addressing the force's financial and other demands.
On law enforcement agencies, the minister said personnel found negligent in their duties or involved in criminal activities would face departmental action as well as criminal cases where applicable.
“December is our month of victory; no evil force will be able to create any kind of instability in the country during this month,” he said.
On Dhaka's traffic situation, Salahuddin said automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technology had been introduced to improve traffic management. The technology is being used to process traffic cases automatically and improve discipline on the roads.
He also said authorities had been instructed to carry out road excavation and construction work in sections rather than digging up entire roads at once, with roads to be restored immediately after work is completed.
Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Manzur Morshed Chowdhury and Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force Director General Major General Abdul Motaleb Sajjad Mahmud, PSC, among others, were present at the briefing.