The interim government has instructed protesters to return all illegal and unauthorized weapons, including rifles stolen from law enforcement during recent unrest, by August 19. Anyone found with these arms will face severe penalties.
According to *The Daily Star*, Home Affairs Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain stated on Monday that if the weapons are not handed over to local police stations, an operation will be launched, and those found with unauthorized firearms will be prosecuted.
Hussain made these comments to reporters at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka, following his visit to the injured members of the paramilitary Bangladesh Ansar who were hurt in the recent mass protests.
Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India a week ago, leading to widespread chaos and violent protests against her government over a contentious job quota system.
Hussain reported that approximately 500 people, including students, had been killed and several thousand injured during the protests.
“A youth was seen in the video taking away a 7.62 mm rifle. That means the rifle was not returned. If you did not hand over, out of fear, hand over the firearms through anyone else,” Hussain was quoted by *The Daily Star*.
He also mentioned that an investigation would be conducted to identify the youth in civilian clothes who shot at the Ansar members.
Later, Hussain retracted his earlier remarks about shutting down media outlets for spreading false or misleading news, stating, “I said it out of anger. It is not my job. I never support shutting down any media.”
Last Thursday, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of an interim government, replacing Hasina. Yunus was inaugurated with a 16-member advisory council to help manage the country’s affairs.