The Bangladesh Army has formed a court of inquiry against an army officer over allegations of his political involvement and a preliminary investigation has found the allegations true, said a press release issued by the Inter Services Public Relation Directorate on Friday.
At a press briefing at the Officers’ Mess at the Dhaka cantonment in the capital on July 31, the army said that it had taken Major Sadikul Islam Sadek into its custody over allegations of training Awami League people.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police at a press conference on Friday said that 22 people were arrested in connection with a meeting of Awami League people at a convention hall in the Bashundhara area under the Bhatara police station on July 8.
The ISPR on Friday said that the Bangladesh Army would take necessary actions against the officer once the full investigation was completed, as per the army’s laws and rules.
It said that the army had recently received the allegations against the officer from a law enforcement agency and taken the matter into consideration with utmost priority.
The directorate said that necessary coordination with the police and other law enforcement agencies in this regard was under way.
It said that the army officer was detained from his house in the capital’s Uttara area on July 17 and taken into the army’s custody.
In response to a question at the Officers’ Mess press conference on the media reports and social media posts claiming Major Sadikul was training Awami League people to create instability in the country, Brigadier General Md Nazim-ud-Daula, director of the military operations directorate at the Army Headquarters, disclosed the army officer’s detention.
On May 12, the interim government banned all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated, allied and like-minded organisations until the completion of the trials of the party and its leaders by the International Crimes Tribunal over their alleged atrocities during the July uprising.
Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government assumed office on August 8, 2024, three days after the ouster of the Awami League-led authoritarian regime in the student-led mass uprising. The activities of Awami League and its associate bodies will remain suspended until the trials of the AL and its leaders over their atrocities during the July uprising.
Replying to a query at Friday’s press conference at the DMP Media Centre, DMP deputy commissioner for media and public relations Muhammad Talebur Rahman said, ‘The convention hall named KB Convention Hall was rented by a person named Shamima Nasrin Shampa in the name of an organisation, showing sending people abroad as the reason. People were taken to the convention hall through hatching a conspiracy.’
A case was filed with the Bhatara police station on July 13 regarding the matter, Talebur said, adding that they were investigating the incident.
Replying to a query regarding the various ‘threats’ discussed on social media regarding the meeting and August 8, Talebur said that there were no security concerns related to August currently.
‘We are always vigilant. Our regular operations are ongoing and we have sufficient preparedness and capacity to deal with any situation,’ added the police official.
Apart from the court of inquiry over the allegations of political involvement, the Inter Services Public Relation Directorate said, another court of inquiry was formed for remaining absent by the army officer in his work station and necessary legal actions would be taken following the recommendations of the court on completion of the investigation.
The Bangladesh Army is completely an apolitical, disciplined and professional force and there is no scope for becoming involved in political activities by any of its members, the directorate said in Friday’s press release.
