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Army releases list of post-Aug 5 cantonment shelter seekers

The list includes 626 who entered cantonments after fall of Hasina govt


May 23, 2025 00:00:00


The Bangladesh Army has released the list of people who took shelter in cantonments during the fall of the Awami League government amid the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, reports bdnews24.com.

The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) confirmed that 626 people were given shelter in different cantonments at that time.

Among them were 24 political figures, 5 judges, 19 civil administration officials, and 515 police officers and personnel.

The list also includes 12 officials from public universities, along with 51 family members-wives and children-of those who sought protection.

An FE report adds: The ISPR stated that after the fall of the previous government during the student-people-led uprising, the overall law and order situation in the country deteriorated significantly due to the activities of certain conspiratorial elements.

According to ISPR, the breakdown in security led to attacks on government offices and police stations, violence against political activists and supporters, arson, mob justice, theft, and looting. In this chaotic and volatile environment, many citizens feared for their lives.

As a result, individuals from various professional and political backgrounds sought shelter at cantonments in Dhaka and other parts of the country. "Given the sudden instability, priority was given to saving lives rather than verifying identities," the statement read.

ISPR emphasised the army's actions were purely humanitarian, aiming to prevent unlawful killings. Most of the sheltered individuals left the cantonments within one or two days as the situation stabilized. Five individuals were handed over to law enforcement agencies through proper legal channels based on pending allegations or legal cases.

A previous statement from ISPR on August 18, 2024, had already disclosed these facts and sent a list of 193 individuals (excluding 432 police personnel and one NSI member) to the Ministry of Home Affairs, confirming the matter as resolved.

The first 20 names on the list are as follows: Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former state minister for ICT, Habibur Rahman, Former DMP commissioner, Sayedul Haque Suman, former MP, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, former speaker, (with family), Tanvir Hasan Saikat, then general secretary of BCL, Dhaka University unit, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former IGP, (with family), Harun Ar Rashid, former director general of RAB, Nazma Akhter, former MP, Khandaker Lutful Kabir, former additional IGP, Amena Begum, former DIG, Shamsul Hoque Tuku, former deputy speaker, Chhoto Monir, former MP, Aminul, former DIG, Proloy Kumar Joarder, former additional DIG, Iqbalur Rahim, former MP, (with family), Monirul Islam, former additional IGP, Obaidul Hassan, former chief justice, (with family), M Enayetur Rahim, former justice, (with family), Shajahan Khan, former MP, and Md Asaduzzaman, former DIG.


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