The home ministry has asked the law enforcement and intelligence agencies to beef up security for all diplomats and at the diplomatic zone located in the city’s Gulshan area to preclude any untoward incident against the backdrop of the ongoing political impasse. For ensuring the security of diplomats and the diplomatic zone, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), in a letter to the home ministry on November 27, directed it to immediately deploy security measures in this regard, sources in the home ministry said.
The letter said, “Suspicious movement of some unknown people has been noticed outside the residences of Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, deputy high commissioner, counsellors and other officials of the Indian High Commission. Indications are there that these people are suspected to have links with participants of the ongoing opposition movement belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami and its students’ wing, the Islami Chhatra Shibir, which has raised an alarm about their security. It may be mentioned, on November 10, that these elements created terror by throwing hand-bombs on the compound of the residence of the Indian assistant high commissioner in Chittagong at the height of the opposition movement.”
Additional secretary (political) in the home ministry, Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed, told The Independent that they have already instructed the law enforcement and intelligence agencies to beef up security for the diplomats and at the diplomatic zone.
“Security has been beefed up at all offices and residences of foreign diplomats in the city’s Baridhara and Gulshan areas by deploying members of the law enforcement agencies to ensure foolproof security for foreign nationals,” he said.
“The intelligence agencies are also closely monitoring the security of the diplomatic zone to prevent any untoward incident,” he added. Sources said the Dhaka City Corporation (North) have meanwhile been asked to remove tea stalls and evict hawkers from pavements in the diplomatic zone.
According to sources, the law enforcement agencies have suggested to the authorities that identity cards should be issued to all slum dwellers living in the Gulshan area as a precautionary measure in view of possible subversive activities by
terrorist groups or militant organisations.
-With The Independent input
