Army camp commander, other personnel withdrawn after Chuadanga BNP leader's death: ISPR

The camp commander and all other army personnel concerned have been withdrawn to the cantonment following the death a BNP leader during an operation in Chuadanga last night.

Besides, a high-level investigation committee has been formed to determine the actual cause of the incident, says a press release by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued this afternoon.

Legal action will be taken under army law against those found responsible following the probe, it said while giving an explanation of the incident.

Shamsuzzaman Dablu, general secretary of BNP Jibannagar municipal unit in Chuadanga, has died in custody, triggering protests by party supporters and local residents.

The press release said, a joint forces carried out a special operation around 11:00pm yesterday, based on specific intelligence, to recover illegal firearms.

During the operation, Shamsuzzaman was detained from a pharmacy near Jibannagar Upazila Health Complex on allegations of possessing illegal weapons, the release said.

Based on information provided by the detainee, the patrol team later conducted a search at the pharmacy and recovered a 9mm pistol, one magazine and four rounds of ammunition.

After the operation, Shamsuzzaman reportedly fell ill and lost consciousness. He was immediately taken to the upazila health complex, where the on-duty physician declared him dead at around 12:25am.

Terming the incident “unexpected and unfortunate”, the authorities said it was in no way acceptable.