Tanks on Dhaka streets, mass arrests of..: Bangladesh Army ramps up security amid ongoing political turmoil due to…; will Muhammad Yunus step down?

Several reports claim that Bangladesh's Interim government chief Muhammad Yunus may step down in wake of the political turmoil,

Bangladesh Unrest: The Bangladesh Army has ramped up security arrangements in a bid to maintain law and order in wake of the ongoing political crisis plaguing the country. According to Bangladesh media reports, the army has rolled in tanks and Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) into Dhaka, while more than 10,000 people have been arrested since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime in August last year, including 2,188 arrests in last month.

Tanks, APCs roll into Dhaka

As per a report by the Dhaka Tribune, soldiers are patrolling the streets in several regions of Bangladesh, including the country’s capital Dhaka, in tanks, APCs, and armored jeeps, to maintain order amid a deepening political crisis across the South Asian country.

In a statement on April 17, Colonel Shafikul Islam, a staff colonel at the Directorate of Military Operations, Army Headquarters in Bangladesh, stated that 2,457 people had been arrested in the country during the past two months. Colonel Islam said the arrested accused were allegedly involved in various crimes, and were nabbed in a joint operation by the Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Police, and other law enforcement agencies.

2000 arrested in last 30 days

According to media reports, over 2,000 people were arrested between mid-April to mid-May in Army-Police joint operation. In a statement, Bangladesh Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the armed forces have arrested 258 people in a week-long operation from May 15-21.

Last year, the Sheikh Hasina government deployed the Bangladesh Army on the streets after anti-Hasina protests escalated in late July. However, even after Hasina’s ouster, the army has maintained its presence in civilian areas as political unrest brews in the country leading to sporadic clashes and protests.

Muhammad Yunus to step down?

Meanwhile, several reports claim that Bangladesh’s Interim government chief Muhammad Yunus may step down in wake of the political turmoil, However, in a statement on Saturday, the Advisory Council quashed these rumors, asserting that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, will not resign, nor is he leaving the country.

“The interim government will listen to the statements of political parties in this regard and clarify the government’s position,” the Council said following an unscheduled meeting where three primary responsibilities–elections, reforms, and justice–assigned to the interim government, were discussed, according to the statement.

An Interim Government came to the helm in Dhaka in August last year after deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country and seek asylum in India following mass protests against her Awami League regime. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was appointed as the Chief Adviser of the interim regime, which would oversee the country’s affairs until a democratically-elected government was formed.