1,000+ Held in B'desh's Joint Forces' Crackdown

Bangladesh's security forces arrested 1,308 people under "Operation Devil Hunt," launched overnight amid nationwide vandalism as unrest gripped the country for the past four days, with the interim government vowing to continue the crackdown until "all devils" were uprooted.

- Press Trust of India

DHAKA:

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus-led interim government ordered "Operation Devil Hunt" on Saturday after student activists were injured during vandalism at the house of an Awami League leader on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Major media outlets including the Daily Star said on Sunday that joint forces comprising army troops, police and their specialized units arrested 274 people majorly in metropolitan cities and others in different parts of the country in the 24 hours since the operation was launched.

"The operation will target those who are desperate to destabilize the country...it will continue until all devils are rooted out," Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said.

According to mainstream media reports, 81 activists of the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League were arrested from Gazipur on the outskirts of Dhaka, where the clash erupted and prompted authorities to order Operation Devil Hunt.