Illegal casino crackdown was triggered by intelligence, says home minister

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has brushed aside claims of a 'plot' against Jubo League leaders in the wake of the crackdown on illegal gambling establishments and said the drive was based on intelligence reports.

Jubo League leader Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan was arrested on Wednesday on charges of running a casino inside a club in Dhaka's Fakirapool, leading Omar Faruk Chowdhury, the chairman of the ruling party's youth wing, to question the role of law-enforcing agencies in allowing the business to continue until now.

On Omar's insinuation, Kamal on Thursday said any public servant found to have been involved in the illicit operations will be brought to book.

Although gambling is outlawed in Bangladesh, the Rapid Action Battalion uncovered gambling hubs during its raids on four clubs in the capital, which are known as casinos. Nearly 200 people were apprehended from these joints.

The RAB drive came after reports in the media indicated that these casinos were operating through the patronage of Jubo League leaders. But the organisation's chief Omar labelled the move a 'conspiracy' against Jubo League.

On the highly publicised drive, the home minister said,"Detectives supplied the information and the operation was conducted on the basis of that."

"The first thing is that we've been hearing for a while about a few illegal casinos operating in Dhaka. We didn't authorise any casino. We've granted permission for bars at various clubs and hotels but not for casinos."

But the authorities had been harbouring information on the illegal operations and accordingly launched the raids on the impugned establishments on Wednesday, said Kamal.

On claims that the local police had known about these casinos all along, the minister said, "I've repeatedly said that if [there is proof] that any member of a law-enforcing agency was involved or facilitated these operations then that person will face legal action."

"I'm not going into whether they knew about it or not. I'm saying they acted as soon as they found out about it."

He continued: "You are journalists and you know that I'd previously shut down such activities at Kalabagan Club and Karwan Bazar. We sealed them off as soon as we were informed about it."

Asked about the remarks made by the Omar, Kamal said, "The Jubo League chairman's opinion is his own. I have nothing to say about it. The authorities are not sitting idly by."