Operation Clean Heart

Operation Clean Heart was an anti crime operation carried out by Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Ansar members in Bangladesh.[1][2] The operation was carried by the government of Bangladesh headed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.[3]

Operation Clean Heart
Part of Crime in Bangladesh and Maoist insurgency in Bangladesh
Date16 October 2002 – 9 January 2003
Location
 Bangladesh
Result Government victory
Commanders and leaders
Khaleda Zia No centralized leadership
Units involved
 Bangladesh Army
 Bangladesh Navy
Bangladesh Rifles
Bangladesh Police
Bangladesh Ansar		 Various criminals
Strength
40,000 Unknown
Casualties and losses
Negligible Hundreds injured
11,245 arrested
40 died in custody
Unknown civilian casualties

Operation

The operation took place from 16 October 2002 to 9 January 2003 led by Bangladesh Army.[4] Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch criticised the shoot at sight order given by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ashraful Huda to the police during the operation phrase.[5] More than 40, 000 security personnel participated in the operation.[6] The security forces included 24,023 army personnel and 339 navy personnel along with personnel from Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Ansar, and Bangladesh Rifles.[1][7] The joint forces arrested 11,245 suspects during the course of the operation.[8] It had seized 2,028 firearms and nearly 30,000 bullets.[1]

Hundreds were injured and 44 died in custody.[1] Human Rights Watch had claimed 60 people were killed in the operation.[4] The Government of Bangladesh claimed 12 of those deaths in custody were from heart attacks.[4] Awami League leader Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, cousin of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, were detained during the operation.[9] The Army also raided the Awami League office and seized documents.[9]

On 9 January 2003 Bangladesh government created an indemnity law that provided legal protection to security personnel who participated in the operation.[1] It was approved in the parliament of Bangladesh on 24 February 2003.[1] Sultana Kamal, activist, criticized the indemnity ordinance.[7] Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik criticized the drive and indemnity ordinance.[10] After the operation ended, Rapid Action Battalion was created in 2004 with personnel from Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Ansar, Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Air Force, and Bangladesh Navy.[11]

Z I Khan Panna, a lawyer of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, had filed a petition against the indemnity ordinance on 14 June 2012.[4] He was represented by Shahdeen Malik.[12] On 29 July 2012, justices Mirza Hussain Haider and Kazi Md. Ejarul Haque Akondo asked the government of Bangladesh to explain why it should not declare the ordinance illegal and order it pay 1 billion taka compensation to the victims.[4] In November 2015, the Bangladesh High Court declared the indemnity ordinance illegal and scrapped it.[4] The verdict was given by Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ashraful Kamal of the High Court Division.[4]

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina referred to Operation Clean Heart when defending her administrations record on human rights on 16 August 2020 following criticism by Bangladesh Nationalist Party which was in power when the operation was launched.[13]

Deaths in the operation
Name Age Profession Date Detained Date died Remarks Location Ref
Shafiqul Islam 16 17 October 2003 17 October 2003 Killed in firing on protestors Bogra [14]
Md. Yakub Ali 40 Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist 17 October 2003 17 October 2003 Died in custody Dhaka [14]
Jahangir Hossain 38 Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist 17 October 2003 17 October 2003 Died in custody Dhaka [14]
Abul Khayer Molla 50 Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist 19 October 2003 19 October 2003 Died in Gopalganj Sadar Hospital after detention Gopalganj [14]
Afzal Hossain 25 Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist 21 October 2003 21 October 2003 Died in Savar Combined Military Hospital after detention Savar [14]
Amirul Islam Rocket 35 Awami League Bhola District GS 22 October 2003 22 October 2003 Died in Bhola Sadar Hospital after detention Bhola [14]
Saifuzzaman 21 October 2003 22 October 2003 Gaibandha [14]
Nazmul Islam Milan 40 Awami Jubo League activist 23 October 2003 23 October 2003 Died in Rajshahi Medical College hours after detention Rajshahi [14]
Abdul Aziz Sardar 47 Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist 23 October 2003 25 October 2003 Pangsha [14]
Khorshed 35 labourer 26 October 2003 26 October 2003 Beaten while sleeping by army soldiers Ramgati [14]
Masum Biswas 38 Awami Jubo League activist 27 October 2003 27 October 2003 Cousin of Sheikh Helal, member of parliament Dhaka [14]
Kala Chand Tripura police constable 28 October 2003 28 October 2003 Died in Chittagong Medical College Hospital Chitttagong [14]
Abul Hossain Litu 27 Farmer 28 October 2003 28 October 2003 Army claimed died while trying to escape Savar [14]
Jamir Uddin 29 October 2003 29 October 2003 Died in Gopalganj Thana Health Complex Golapganj [14]
Abu Syed Delu 22 29 October 2003 29 October 2003 Died in Chest Disease Hospital Dhaka [14]
Jennifer Syed King 25 Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activist 29 October 2003 30 October 2003 Panchagar [14]
Tota Mia 37 Awami Jubo League activist 30 October 2003 30 October 2003 Died within hours of detention Madaripur [14]
Mizanur Rahman Busha 40 Jubo Dal activist 29 October 2003 1 November 2003 Chuadanga [14]
Lebu Mia 45 Farmer 30 October 2003 1 November 2003 Habiganj [14]
Abdul Haque 32 Microbus driver 25 October 2003 4 November 2003 Osmani Medical College Hospital Sylhet [14]
Rashedul Hasan 35 Assistant film director 2 November 2003 7 November 2003 [14]
Saiful Islam 22 Jubo Dal activist 8 November 2003 8 November 2003 Feni Sadar Hospital Feni [14]
Abu Sufian 30 9 November 2003 9 November 2003 Died in Bangladesh Army camp Mohammadpur Dhaka [14]
Haji Abul Kashem 73 1 November 2003 10 November 2003 Tangail General Hospital Tangail [14]
Zahirul Islam Mia 25 Jubo Dal activist 19 November 2003 19 November 2003 Mitford Hospital Dhaka [14]
Unidentified 40 19 November 2003 19 November 2003 Mitford Hospital, Army gave to police in critical condition Dhaka [14]
Tasu Mia 45 Businessman 19 November 2003 20 November 2003 Army claimed he was hit by a bus Dhaka [14]
Masum 30 19 November 2003 21 November 2003 Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Dhaka [14]
Hakim Labourer 13 November 2003 21 November 2003 Injured in a crossfire with army and criminals Dhaka [14]
Shariful Mallik 26 1 November 2003 21 November 2003 Died on way to Khulna Medical College Hospital Khulna [14]
Arju Mia 38 25 November 2003 21 November 2003 Gazipur Sadar Hospital Gazipur [14]
Tipu Biswas 35 Jubo Dal activist 30 November 2003 30 November 2003 Died in Army custody Khulna [14]
Abdus Sattar Businessman 10 December 2003 10 December 2003 Bogra Mohammadpur Hospital Bogra [14]
Nabi Hossain Kahn 50 Rickshawpuller 14 December 2003 14 December 2003 Found dead in a pond after being detained by the Army Narsinghdi [14]
Jasim Uddin 25 15 December 2003 15 December 2003 Combined Military Hospital Dhaka [14]
Shafiuddin Swapan 35 Jubo Dal activist 16 December 2003 16 December 2003 Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Dhaka [14]
Omar Faruk 46 15 December 2003 16 December 2003 Brother of Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist Dhaka [14]
Ibrahim Khalil Ibu Chhatra League activist 15 December 2003 16 December 2003 Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Dhaka [14]
Mir Jahirul Rabin 22 Tejgaon College student 4 December 2003 16 December 2003 Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Dhaka [14]
Abu Barek Rubel 24 16 December 2003 16 December 2003 Boalkhali Hospital Boalkhali [14]
Yusuf 34 20 December 2003 20 December 2003 Combined Military Hospital Dhaka [14]
Mohammad Rashed 25 25 December 2003 25 December 2003 Sandwip [14]
Unidentified leader of an outlaw party 6 January 2004 6 January 2004 Died a few hours after detention Pabna [14]
Abdul Khaleq Sarkar 28 Businessman 8 January 2004 8 January 2004 Gazipur Sadar Hospital Gazipur [14]

References
  1. "Operation Clean Heart indemnity law illegal: HC". The Daily Star. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  2. "' Operation Clean Heart ' in Bangladesh - 2002-11-25". VoA (in Bengali). Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  3. "Bangladesh Court Declares Indemnity Act Illegal". BenarNews. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  4. "HC scraps law giving indemnity for 'Operation Clean Heart'". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  5. "Bangladesh: Revoke "Shoot-at-Sight"". Human Rights Watch. 2003-06-04. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  6. "Bangladesh winds down crime fight". BBC News. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  7. Manik, Julfikar Ali (2009-06-08). "Operation Clean Heart to be opened". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  8. "Operation Clean Heart indemnity revoked". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  9. "Bangladesh: Accountability needed in 'Operation Clean Heart'". www.amnesty.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  10. "Operation Clean Heart: Open License to Kill at Whim". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  11. Rasid, Harunur (2022-10-18). "The reality of the human rights situation in Bangladesh". Global Village Space. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  12. "HC allows Operation Clean Heart victims to sue army-led joint force". New Age. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  13. "'Have you forgotten Operation Clean Heart?' Hasina asks critics of extra-judicial killings". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  14. "Chronology of deaths during joint drive". The Daily Star. 2003-01-12. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
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