At least five Bangladesh Army officers, including two brigadiers, have been placed under ‘house arrest’ in Dhaka cantonment after being accused by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for firing at protesters during the July-August 2024 students’ movement.
Unconfirmed reports of the action against the five officers surfaced on April 6, the day when Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman left for a five-day visit to Russia and Croatia. However, Northeast News has now two confirmations of the house arrest from two military sources. The officers were placed under house arrest on April 5.
Northeast News is in the possession of the identities and the Bangladesh Army-issued numbers for each of the five officers – two brigadiers, a colonel, a lieutenant colonel and a major. But Northeast News is not disclosing the names of the officers for reasons of their security and related legal issues.
Well-placed army sources revealed that the five officers have been placed under ‘open arrest’, which means that they will continue to remain in their army-issue residences while being under 24-hour “surveillance”. They have been pulled out of performing their regular duties.
The sources said that the ‘open arrest’ was sanctioned by Gen Zaman, who held back from taking a decision without any evidence. That evidence against all five officers later came in the form of ICT charges against them, which convinced Gen Zaman.
The Bangladesh Army has also ensured that the five officers are unable to leave their homes and cross the country’s borders. “We have ensured that these officers are unable to leave the country surreptitiously, especially in the light of the escape of at least 627 officers of various ranks and their spouses within months of the students’ movement,” a serving officer said.
Military sources said that the “disappearance” of the 627 officers, including some from the army, a political party, the police service and the civil administration was a fit case for investigation and consequent prosecution, irrespective of the seniority and standing of the officials who took the decision to allow them to “melt away”.
As for the five officers under the ICT and Army headquarters’ lens, one of the two brigadiers was from the Engineers Brigade and the second was from the 46th Infantry Brigade. The colonel was in secondment to the Rapid Action Battalion, while the lieutenant colonel was under deputation to the Border Guards Bangladesh and the major belonged to East Bengal Regiment.
The Army topbrass’ decision to place the five officers was taken after due consideration to potential upheavals among the rank-and-file. The Army chief’s sanction for the officers’ house or open arrest was given when he was “satisfied” with the evidence against them.
ALSO READ: Wily Yunus will do everything to come in the way of early elections in Bangladesh
It is not known when and under what circumstances the Army leadership will consider Courts of Inquiry against the five officers. But sources said this move could take place once the due paperwork for proceedings in the ICT are prepared and shared among all officers – in the interim authority and the army.
