Bangladesh Police Stations Resume Operations Amid Recovery Efforts

Police stations in Bangladesh, deserted during anti-government protests, are resuming operations with military assistance. The fall of Sheikh Hasina's government led to police station attacks, causing the evacuation of officers. More than 400 people died in the unrest. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus heads the interim government, aiming to restore order.

Police stations in Bangladesh, which were deserted during the peak of the anti-government protests, are slowly resuming their normal activities with the assistance of the military, according to media reports on Friday.

Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on Monday due to student-led protests, all police station activities came to a halt. Several police stations were attacked, looted, and set on fire, leading to many officers evacuating their stations and going into hiding due to the threat of more attacks. More than 400 people, including police personnel, were killed in the violence centring the students' movement.

After about four days, activities resumed at some 29 police stations with the assistance of the military, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported, quoting military and police officials. On Thursday, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, vowing to restore law and order in the country.

Company Commander Shakhawat Khandakar from 25 East Bengal Regiment said: “Seeing how criminals were killing people, including the police, we decided that it was critical to save the police members. They serve the people; we needed to give them a chance to reform.”

Tejgaon Deputy Police Commissioner Azimul Haque expressed gratitude towards the military for their role in safeguarding police personnel and resuming police activities. He added that, of the six police stations in the Tejgaon division, three have become fully operational, with others making gradual progress.

The newly-appointed Inspector General of Police, Md Mainul Islam, has ordered officers to return to their units within 24 hours. Political parties, students, and citizens are supporting the police as they return to their duties.