Bangladesh arrests over 1300 pro-Hasina rioters under Operation Devil Hunt

Bangladeshi police have said more than 1,300 people have been arrested in a sweeping crackdown dubbed "Operation Devil Hunt", targeting gangs allegedly connected to the ousted regime of Sheikh Hasina.

Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, head of the interior ministry in the interim government that took over after Hasina was ousted in the August 2024 student-led revolution, has vowed the operations will continue "until we uproot the devils".

Police spokesman Inamul Haque Sagar said on Monday that operations continue, but from its launch on Saturday "1,308 people were arrested across the country".

The security operations come after widespread unrest earlier this month.

Protests were triggered in response to reports that 77-year-old Hasina who has defied an arrest warrant to face trial crimes against humanity would appear in a Facebook broadcast from exile in neighbouring India.

There were clashes between anti-Hasina protesters and members of her Awami League party.

The interim government blamed Hasina for the violence.

On Friday, interim leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus appealed for calm,

Hours later, members of the Students Against Discrimination the protest group credited with sparking the uprising against Hasina were attacked in the Dhaka district of Gazipur.

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Source: TRT