Dhaka, Oct 15 (IANS) Bangladesh has witnessed a rise in religious fundamentalism and militant activities since the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power. Several militants have been roaming freely since the July 2024 uprising, while three internationally listed extremist leaders who fled prison are still at large, a report has stated.

According to a report in Bangladesh’s newspaper Daily Sun, a new militant group, “Ittihadul Ummah”, has emerged in the country, with intelligence agencies investigating its possible links to foreign militant organisations following the interrogation of individuals recently detained from the Tejgaon College mosque.

“Through forensic analysis of the mobile phones of the individuals taken into custody in Tejgaon and their subsequent interrogation, we obtained information about plans to form an organisation named 'Ittihadul Ummah.' They are accused of organising extremist activities aimed at establishing a Caliphate,” Daily Sun quoted Bangladesh’s Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed as saying, while confirming the development.

The report noted that police recently detained 23 people from a mosque at Tejgaon College in Dhaka on suspicion of links to banned militant organisations.

Citing police sources, the report stated that the arrests were made during a secret gathering based on intelligence information.

Officials from the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) and the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) took the detainees into custody for questioning and verification, with interrogations reportedly uncovering information about their alleged militant activities.

“Under the patronage of fundamentalists, militant activity has been on the rise in Bangladesh. Furthermore, a deep conspiracy is underway to destabilise the country by unseating the elected government of Bangladesh, leveraging religious sentiments and foreign backing from behind the scenes,” Daily Sun mentioned.

Meanwhile, a series of arson attacks and crude bomb explosions in Dhaka following the Tejgaon arrests has heightened concerns over the security situation.

On September 19, three buses were set on fire in Mirpur and Madhya Badda, while a pickup van was torched in South Keraniganj, the report noted.

Crude bomb explosions were also reported at several locations across the capital, with further blasts reported the following day, raising concerns about attempts to spread fear and panic.

The report highlighted how the recent arrests in Tejgaon have brought the issue of militancy in Bangladesh back into the spotlight.

Amid growing concerns over rising militancy in the South Asian nation, the threat has extended to the Bangladesh Air Force, with a warrant officer who went missing from a base in Chattogram earlier this year traced to a hideout of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Earlier in August, the United Nations Security Council warned that Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) was attempting to use Bangladesh as a base to establish terrorist cells.

The finding appeared in the 38th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. The report was submitted to the Security Council committee dealing with Islamic State, Al-Qaida, and associated groups.

--IANS

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