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Published : 10 Jan 2026, 12:00 PM
More than 5,000 rounds of ammunition and 27 firearms looted from Narsingdi District Jail in July 2024 remain unrecovered one and a half years after the mass uprising.
Against a backdrop of rising homicides across the district, local residents are voicing concerns over law and order and the potential use of illegal firearms in the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.
Locals are demanding that all illegal arms, including those stolen from the prison, be seized before the polls.
The district’s Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Md Kalimullah, however, has maintained that the authorities intend to recover these weapons prior to the election.
In the past year, the district has recorded more than 100 killings, most of which are linked to political vendettas and turf wars. Residents are calling for an immediate crackdown to ensure a stable environment for the vote.
Although the home advisor recently visited Narsingdi and announced a "combing operation" to recover illegal arms in the Char or shoal areas, significant progress has yet to be reported.
The district police claim that joint force operations are ongoing to locate the missing munitions from the prison, alongside illegal weapons.
On Jul 19, 2024, Narsingdi District Jail was attacked, vandalised, and set on fire amid the student-led mass uprising that ultimately toppled the Awami League government. All 826 prisoners escaped at the time. As many as 85 firearms and more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition were looted during the chaos.
While approximately 700 escapees have since been returned to custody through surrenders and arrests, more than 5,000 cartridges are still missing.
Of the 85 stolen weapons, 58 have been recovered over the last 18 months, leaving 27 still at large. Police said the missing arsenal includes Chinese and locally-made rifles, and bore shotguns.
Meanwhile, Sharif Osman Hadi, an independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency in the Feb 12 election and Inqilab Moncho convenor, was shot by assailants in the capital’s Paltan area on Dec 12.
He was initially treated in Dhaka before being taken to Singapore on Dec 15. He died on Dec 18 while undergoing treatment at Singapore General Hospital.
Earlier, on Nov 5, Chattogram city BNP Convenor Ershad Ullah was shot during an election campaign. Two others were also shot that day, one of whom later died.
Ershad is the BNP-nominated candidate for the Chattogram-8 (Chandgaon–Boalkhali) constituency.
Following these incidents, questions have naturally arisen about the security of candidates and political leaders. Amid this, BNP candidate Masuduzzaman Masud for the Narayanganj-5 seat announced his withdrawal from the election citing security concerns, although he later returned to the race.
In the Gopalganj-3 (Kotalipara–Tungipara) seat, BNP candidate and Swecchasebak Dal president SM Zilani has spoken of fears for his life. He has shown voters that he wears a bulletproof vest at all times.
In Narsingdi, community leaders noted that the riverine Char regions often become volatile during elections.
Nazmul Alam Sohag, a local college teacher, told bdnews24.com: "In the Char areas, fights are no longer limited to traditional spears. Illegal firearms are now being used in these conflicts.
“The fact that violence is escalating shows a stockpile of weapons exists. To ensure a peaceful election, these must be recovered."
Zahirul Haque Jewel, a lawyer at the Narsingdi District Judges’ Court, said the addition of looted prison weapons to the existing stock of illegal arms has left the public "terrified" of potential sabotage.
Political representatives across the spectrum – including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami -- have echoed these calls, warning that a "level playing field" is impossible if these weapons remain in the hands of criminals.
ASP Kalimullah said: "The majority of the weapons looted from the district jail have been recovered, along with some ammunition.
“Joint operations to find the remaining 27 weapons are ongoing per the directives of the home advisor."
