Weeks after Bangladesh’s autocratic leader was driven out by protests, many police officers have yet to return to work. After a police crackdown killing hundreds of protestors on August 5, the police disappeared from the streets out of fear for their lives. Public disorder has continued, leading this week to the interim government granting the army policing powers. The army now has power to maintain law and order, issue search and arrest warrants, and disperse large gatherings. The new order falls short of an emergency declaration, but the powers will last for two months and apply across the country. There have been recent reports of attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority and on the shrines of Sufis. 

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/world/asia/bangladesh-army-police.html