Narsingdi Jail Escape: Not an isolated incident

The rise of militancy in the country began in the early 1990s, driven by Afghan-returned mujahideen. Although militant activities have decreased due to continuous operations by law enforcement agencies, they have not entirely ceased. Militants are now trying to reorganize themselves in new ways. A testament to this is the incident on July 19th, when protesters attacked and set fire to the Narsingdi jail during the quota reform movement. The protesters broke into the jail, smashed cell locks, and freed 826 prisoners, including 9 militants. They looted 85 weapons and 8,150 rounds of ammunition from the armory and guards. Although the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit has already arrested 4 out of the 9 escaped militants, there is no relief until the remaining 5 are captured.

The question arises: is the act of rescuing militants from the custody of law enforcement agencies an isolated incident? It is not. This is an old tactic of the militants, as seen in two previous incidents. Two years ago, two militants sentenced to death were snatched away by attacking the police in broad daylight at the Dhaka court premises. Again, ten years ago in Trishal, Mymensingh, three top JMB militants were rescued by attacking a prison van. These incidents of militants being rescued from police custody are alarming for the country.

Typically, additional precautionary measures are implemented for militants or dangerous offenders according to policy guidelines. There are specific instructions on what actions should be taken or what measures should be adopted when dealing with militant suspects. Additionally, there are prison code regulations in place. So, why was the law enforcement at Narsingdi jail unable to mount a defense during the protest? Experts believe that this incident could have occurred due to extreme negligence and unprofessionalism by the on-duty police.

For several years, ongoing operations by law enforcement across the country have cornered the militants. Many of their leaders and members have been arrested, and several have been sentenced to death in various cases. Their organization is shrinking. Therefore, they are trying to demonstrate their strength before the national elections. It is important to note that they did not plan this incident overnight. They have been closely monitoring the security system for a long time, identifying vulnerabilities, and planned the attack to exploit these weaknesses. They carried out the surprise attack to rescue militants and assisted prisoners in escaping.

In this situation, if negligence allowed the militants to escape, departmental action must be taken against those responsible after an investigation. Additionally, police and intelligence agencies need to be more vigilant to eradicate militancy in the country. Militancy is an ideological issue. Although capturing and prosecuting militants may temporarily reduce their capabilities, it cannot eradicate them entirely. Therefore, to combat militancy effectively, law enforcement agencies must reassess and overhaul their security measures.