Govt. contemplates of a 'Clean Heart–style' operation

The demonic killing of little Ramisa in the capital is wounding the depths of people's hearts and has shaken the entire country. Within a week, four child rapes and murders like flowers cut down have left the parents of little girls living in fear. On Thursday in Chittagong, angry locals caused mayhem trying to snatch a rapist from police custody.

Not only that, across the country seizures, extortion, murder, robbery and theft are daily scenes. Even police statistics show about 10 people are killed a day. Three people fall victim to abduction. The condition of law enforcement is precarious. Field-level personnel are frequently subject to attacks. Yesterday a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) member was killed.

Officials say that under the caretaker government the degraded law-and-order situation could not be restored to desired levels despite various efforts. Policymakers are considering a combing operation modeled on “Operation Clean Heart” to control the situation. Recently two influential ministers of the government hinted at such special operations at separate events.

Crime analysts say the sustained crime wave is a clear sign of deteriorating law and order in the country. Such operations could help restore public confidence. However, they advise ensuring that no extrajudicial incidents occur during the operation.

In 2002, the then BNP-led four-party alliance government conducted a special operation called “Operation Clean Heart” to control law and order. The situation was brought under control quickly.

At a recent party meeting, the home minister Salahuddin Ahmed himself warned party activists to stop political attacks. At the event, Jubo Dal president Monayem Munna told Agami Somoy that in the organizational meeting held in the presence of the prime minister the home minister issued a strict warning. He urged everyone to be careful and said that no one involved in acts that undermine law and order would be spared. The government would be forced to take tough decisions. The party meeting with BNP and its three allied organizations (Jubo Dal, Chatra Dal and Swechchhasebak Dal) was held on May 9 at the Khamarbari Agricultural Research Institute.

Earlier in March, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Abdul Awal Mintu said the government would launch an operation similar to “Operation Clean Heart” within two to three months. Those who commit wrongdoing will be brought under the law. The government will not spare anyone, he said at a law-and-order meeting held in the conference room of the Feni Deputy Commissioner.

When asked, RAB director general Ahsan Habib Pálash told Agami Somoy, “If the minister said that, then it certainly sends a message. But we do not want to return to the policing of before August 5. Law-and-order is gradually improving. It may take a little time. Everyone must be patient.”
Meanwhile, army personnel deployed to assist the police in maintaining law and order are gradually returning to their barracks. All personnel are scheduled to be back by mid-next month. It is learned that the police are drafting new security plans to cover the soldiers’ absence. In conversations with several senior police officials, policymakers are said to be considering a combing operation in June under a new name modeled on Operation Clean Heart to prevent further deterioration of law and order.

When asked, former Inspector General of Police Ashraful Huda told Agami Somoy, “Why wait two or three months? The police should begin operations today. This is the police’s everyday job. If the police carry out routine duties properly, there will be no need for special operations. Police work must be visible. The police must police firmly. Criminals should be afraid when they see the police. Instead, now respectable citizens fear the police, while terrorists are not afraid.”

According to the Police Headquarters’ data, 1,142 murders occurred nationwide in the first four months of this year — an average of about 10 killings per day. From January to April 2024 there were 1,006 murder cases, and in the first four months of 2025 there were 1,017. By this statistic, the murder rate has risen 13.52% compared with the same period in 2024 and 12.29% compared with 2025’s same period. However, these figures are based only on murder cases registered at police stations. In addition, large numbers of unidentified bodies are recovered and registered as unnatural-death cases; later many of those are found to be murders. In other cases no case is filed because the bodies are never found.

Analysis of police crime statistics shows that the Dhaka division has the highest crime tendency. In the first four months of this year the Dhaka range recorded 11,871 cases involving murder, theft, robbery, and crimes against women and children. Second-ranked Chittagong range had 9,908 cases. Rangpur range was third with 5,390 cases, followed by Khulna range with 5,352 and Rajshahi range with 5,224. During the same period, Dhaka Metropolitan reported 5,186 cases. Other ranges and metropolitan areas reported comparatively fewer cases.

Dr. Tauhidul Haque, associate professor at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka, and a social and crime specialist, told Agami Somoy that the government is now confronting the mismanagement and irregularities that previously hampered crime prevention. In this situation, an operation like Operation Clean Heart could take place; the state or government can carry it out. However, such operations carry the risk of extrajudicial incidents, and that must be guarded against.

It is reported that several brutal murders have occurred in the capital and elsewhere in the country during the first four months of this year. On the night of February 27, after killing Mohammad Obaidullah in Motijheel, the killer dismembered the body into seven pieces and scattered them in different places. The fragmented body was later recovered and suspected killer Shahin was arrested. On the night of April 14, college student Mahadia Hasan Naboni, also known as Diamoni, was hacked to death in Kalyan, Jatrabari. In the attack one of Diamoni’s mother’s forearms was severed; her sister and brother were seriously injured. On the night of April 28, in a busy street in New Market, top gangster Khandaker Naim Ahmed Titon was executed in a cinematic-style close-range shooting. On April 11, Pir Abdur Rahman Shamim was brutally stabbed and beaten to death after intruders entered the Darbar Sharif in Philipnagar, Daulatpur, Kushtia. On April 26 in Raozan, Chittagong, indiscriminate firing by miscreants killed Jubo Dal activist Nasir Uddin at his home.

Kidnappings have also risen. In the first four months of 2024 there were 200 abductions; in the same period of 2025 that rose to 354. In the first four months of this year 347 people were abducted. In addition, crimes such as murder, snatching and extortion are now everyday occurrences.

There is no separate nationwide police statistic for extortion cases. Yet from the capital to remote areas, rampant extortion plagues businesses large and small. Extortion is causing prices of many goods to rise abnormally for consumers. Tazkin Ahmed, president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), has voiced concern about extortion. At a recent press conference at the DCCI office in Motijheel he said, “Priority must be given to effective improvement of law and order and elimination of extortion. Currently traders must pay extortion to move goods in and out of factories. The government must identify who is collecting extortion and stop them.”

Sources say those working on the ground to control crime are also unsafe. Law-enforcement personnel are frequently targeted in attacks. According to data, in 2025 there were 601 attacks on police officers while on duty. In the past four months of this year there have been 213 such attacks.