Home advisor orders return of unauthorised weapons in 7 days

If they are not returned, charges will be filed under an illegal arms case and another over banned weapons

Brig Gen M Sakhawat Hossain, advisor of home affairs, has ordered all unauthorised weapons to be returned within seven days.

“Those who have unauthorised weapons or firearms must submit them to their specified police stations within seven days [by next Monday]. If they are not submitted, two charges will be filed. One case will be filed over illegal arms and the other over possession of government-banned weapons.”

He made the remarks to the media at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka on Monday while visiting Ansar personnel injured in the recent violence.

“If you cannot submit them yourself, send someone else to do so. No matter what, we need those rifles back. Otherwise we will have to start hunting them.”

“How did the weapons, which cannot be procured outside, get into their hands? How did they use those weapons to fire on Ansar? I saw a video where a young man – a civilian – was handed a 7.62 rifle. This means that the rifle did not get back to us. How can this happen? What is this? We are trying to find them.”

“I have never seen such authoritarian tactics. When army people come, you call them authoritarian. But they are putting rifles in the hands of civilians.”

‘SYCOPHANTIC MEDIA COMMENTS WERE HOTHEADED’

Sakhawat said that his comment stating that ‘sycophantic’ media outlets would be shut down was made in the heat of the moment.

“I made the statement when I was hotheaded,” he said. “That is not actually my job. I hope that in the future, whether I am here or not, those who are involved in politics will end this [sycophancy]. You who are in the media should go on strike if they try [to continue being sycophantic].”