Unrest in Dhaka: CA urges calm as security chiefs meet
Staff Reporter :
As political tensions continue to escalate and widespread protests grip the capital, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus convened a high-level meeting with the heads of Bangladesh’s armed forces on Tuesday, urging them to safeguard national stability and maintain public order.
The closed-door meeting, held at the State Guest House Jamuna, was attended by the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, alongside senior advisers from the Ministries of Home and Foreign Affairs, as well as top national security officials.
Discussions focused on the increasingly fragile law and order situation as the country navigates a delicate political transition. In a statement released by the Chief Adviser’s Office, Professor Yunus stressed the importance of maintaining calm, particularly in the capital.
“Ensuring a stable security situation in Dhaka and across the country is now of utmost importance,” the Chief Adviser was quoted as saying.
He also commended the role of security forces in managing several recent high-profile incidents-although unnamed, these are understood to relate to ongoing political confrontations and street-level unrest in the capital.
The meeting followed days of growing agitation led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which has intensified its calls for general elections to be held within the year.
Over the past week, demonstrations, sit-ins, and road blockades have disrupted Dhaka, paralysing major intersections, hindering municipal services, and prompting a substantial deployment of police and paramilitary forces.
On Tuesday, clashes erupted between BNP supporters-including members of its student wing, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal-and law enforcement personnel in the Shahbagh and Motijheel areas. Simultaneously, a separate group of protesters laid siege to Nagar Bhaban, the headquarters of Dhaka South City Corporation.
The demonstrators are demanding the swearing-in of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as mayor and have warned of further disruption to civic services if their demands remain unmet.
The unrest reflects mounting public frustration with the interim government’s perceived delays in announcing a timetable for national elections.
While Professor Yunus has reiterated that electoral reforms are essential to ensure a credible and transparent vote, BNP leaders accuse the administration of stalling and overstaying its mandate.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the heads of the armed forces-Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan, and Air Force Chief Air Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan-were joined by key law enforcement and intelligence figures.
Adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, and National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman were also present.
Security officials provided detailed assessments of the current landscape, proposing measures to enhance crowd management, strengthen intelligence operations, and strategically deploy forces to prevent violence and reassure the public.
Although no new directives were publicly announced, sources close to the administration indicated that the government stands ready to escalate its response should the situation further deteriorate.
In the meantime, Dhaka remains under heightened surveillance. Additional security personnel have been deployed at government buildings, foreign missions, and major intersections.
Security checkpoints have been reinforced, and mobile courts have been activated to deter acts of vandalism and public disorder, according to officials familiar with the security arrangements.