Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has established a six-member inquiry commission to look into the recent violent confrontations in Gopalganj, claiming that the banned Awami League and its student faction, Bangladesh Chhatra League, executed a premeditated assault on a public assembly of the National Citizens Party (NCP) on July 16.
In a statement released by the government, Dr. Yunus indicated that the commission was being created in response to the “deterioration of law and order, attacks on the district prison and government facilities, and threats to public safety” during the turmoil surrounding the NCP’s planned event in the Gopalganj district headquarters.
The commission will be led by retired Supreme Court Justice Dr. Md. Abu Tariq, a distinguished freedom fighter. Other members include Khandaker Md. Mahbubur Rahman (Additional Secretary, Public Security Division), Md. Saiful Islam (Senior District and Sessions Judge), Brigadier General Shahidur Rahman Osmany (Commander, 21 Infantry Brigade), Sardar Nurul Amin (Additional Inspector General of Police), and Dr. Sajjad Siddiqui (Chair, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Dhaka).
Established under Section 3 of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956, the panel is charged with determining the causes of the violence, identifying the individuals involved, and recommending legal measures. It will also investigate the assaults on the prison, other state properties, and disturbances to public order, as well as propose strategies to avert similar occurrences in the future.
This decision follows the findings of a preliminary investigation committee that implicated supporters of the banned Awami League and its affiliates in what was characterized as a “deliberate” attack on NCP members and their supporters. The violence led local authorities to enforce Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, followed by a curfew and the deployment of armed forces under In-Aid-to-Civil Power provisions. The crackdown resulted in casualties, although no official statistics have been disclosed yet.
Dr. Yunus’s administration has assigned the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs the responsibility of providing logistical and financial support to the inquiry commission. The panel is expected to deliver its findings, accompanied by practical recommendations, within a three-week timeframe.
The Chief Advisor’s action signifies a significant intensification in the government’s approach to addressing political unrest, directly attributing responsibility to the banned political network of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and increasing examination of its purported activities, notwithstanding its prohibited status.
