Bangladesh's Yunus govt cancels passports of 22 officials

The interim government of Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus has ordered the passports of 22 officials who served in the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other powerful law enforcement and intelligence agencies to be cancelled as part of a massive crackdown on veteran security officials.

As per the details, the Bangladeshi Home Ministry said in a notification that these veteran officers’ passports were being revoked because they are being investigated for the disappearance of political opponents during the Sheikh Hasina administration.

The notification went on to say that steps were being taken to keep them from leaving the country and that there was primary evidence of their involvement in the kidnapping of opponents.

The majority of the names on the list held important positions in the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and National Security Intelligence (NSI). While some on the list served in the RAB, an enforcement unit that received bad press during the Hasina administration.

One of the people on the list is Molla Fazle Akbar, who oversaw DGFI from 2009 to 2011. Former DGFI and NSI officers Maj. Gen. Hamidul Haque, Saiful Abedin, Saiful Alam, Ahmed Tabrez Shams Choudhury, and Lt. Gen. Akbar Hossein are also on the list.

Related link: Bangladesh army chief pledges support for Yunus’ interim government ‘come what may

People who were allegedly being held in covert locations run by different intelligence and security agencies under the Sheikh Hasina government have been freed by Dhaka since the interim government was established under the direction of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. The list also includes Mohiuddin Faruki, a senior police officer incarcerated on murder charges.

It is noteworthy that when Molla Fazle Akbar led the DGFI, Bangladesh conducted a number of operations targeting insurgent groups included United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), that were active in northeast India.

Days after the special commission on disappeared persons suggested that these former officials be barred from leaving the country, the passport cancellation order was issued. According to a report by the news organizations, the actual passport cancellation procedure could take two to three days.

The Yunus government, which is experiencing a law-and-order crisis due to the lack of effective policing in the nation, has taken the largest action against Bangladesh’s security establishment with its recent decision to cancel the passports of veteran military and security officials. Due to their involvement in the anti-student crackdown in the final days of the Hasina administration, Bangladesh’s police forces have been the target of public outrage.