Country on high alert ahead of 5 Aug: Home minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Monday that law enforcement and security agencies have been placed on high alert across the country ahead of 5 August.

“All necessary measures have been taken to ensure a peaceful and secure environment across the country ahead of August 5,” he told reporters at the home ministry in the Bangladesh Secretariat.

He described the heightened measures as routine precautions taken in light of the day’s significance and current security considerations. 

Police vehicles have been ordered not to be left unattended, he said, while security personnel have been told to maintain constant watch to ensure uninterrupted monitoring and a rapid response should any incident arise. 

The home ministry has issued specific directives to police and other agencies instructing them to step up vigilance, and a high-level coordination meeting involving the government, law enforcement and other stakeholders will be held to finalise arrangements for the day.  Salahuddin also pointed to the recent discovery of bomb-like objects in Motijheel and Ashulia, describing them as attempts to spread panic and undermine social harmony. 

A joint investigation is under way to identify those responsible and establish whether the two incidents are linked, he said, adding that intelligence and law enforcement agencies were closely tracking banned organisations and certain groups operating from abroad. Further details would be released once investigations were complete, he said.

On the case of former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed, the minister said the government was pursuing parallel legal and diplomatic efforts to secure his return from the United Arab Emirates. 

“Alongside the legal process, the government is actively engaging diplomatic channels to facilitate his return to Bangladesh,” he said. 

Benazir has been granted conditional bail by a UAE court that bars him from leaving the country, Salahuddin said, and the government has instructed its appointed law firm there to obtain a certified copy of the court order and file a petition seeking cancellation of the bail. 

“The necessary documents for his formal repatriation are also being prepared for submission to the court,” he said, adding that Benazir was suspected of holding passports from multiple countries – a factor shaping the government’s legal strategy.

Separately, Salahuddin urged Australia to keep the Rohingya crisis on the international agenda, telling Assistant Minister Julian Hill MP that safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation remained the only lasting solution. 

Hill reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to bilateral cooperation, welcomed Bangladesh’s new anti-trafficking law, and offered technical support for its implementation, while the two sides also discussed labour migration and maritime security.