In a major reshuffle, the Bangladesh Army has made large-scale appointments and transfers. According to a statement issued by the media wing of Bangladesh Army, Major General Zia-ul-Ahsan has been dismissed from his position.

Major General Zia Ul Hasan Maliki, formerly the Director General of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC), an intelligence agency under the Ministry of Interior, has been replaced.

The NTMC is responsible for monitoring national situations, collecting data, and recording communications, including emails, social media accounts, and phone calls.

In the recent reshuffle, Lt Gen Saif Alam has been assigned to the Foreign Ministry, while Lt Gen Mujibur Rehman has been appointed as the GOC of Army Training and Doctrine Command. Major General Zia-ul-Ahsan’s successor as DG NTMC will be Major General Ridwan-ur-Rehman.

This military shake-up comes on the heels of a political crisis. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid fled to India via military helicopter following student protests.

In her absence, the Army Chief announced the formation of an interim government. Concurrently, opposition leader Khaleda Zia was released from jail on presidential orders. Despite these changes, the country's situation remains dire, with normal life severely disrupted.

Hasina Wajid cabinet members fleeing country

Following the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid and her subsequent flight to India, as well as the dissolution of parliament by the president, several cabinet members have also begun fleeing the country.

Indian media reports that Hasan Mehmood, a close aide to Hasina Wajid and former foreign minister, was arrested just hours after the dissolution of parliament. Mehmood was detained at Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka while attempting to flee the country.

Prior to this, former Minister of Information and Broadcasting Junaid Ahmed Palak was also detained at Dhaka Airport. According to Bangladeshi media, Awami League leader Junaid Ahmed Palak had arrived at the airport to escape to New Delhi, but was prevented from boarding the plane and subsequently detained.

Indian cultural center set on fire

After the resignation and flight to India of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, protesters set fire to the Indian Cultural Center in Dhaka.

#BangladeshViolence l Aftermath of looting & arson at Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, #Dhaka. The cultural center promoting bilateral cultural ties between India & Bangladesh was inaugurated in March 2010.#Bangladesh #BangladeshCrisis #BangladeshProtests #BangladeshBleeding pic.twitter.com/dYj3VDbVLn
— Lokmat Times Nagpur (@LokmatTimes_ngp) August 6, 2024

Amid the ongoing violent protests in Bangladesh, the Indira Gandhi Cultural Center, operated by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in Dhaka, became a target of the protesters' anger.

According to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations' website, the cultural center, located in Dhaka's Dhanmondi area, was established in 2010 to promote cultural ties between the two countries.

Footage released by a foreign news agency shows debris scattered throughout the premises of the cultural center, with smoke rising from the building. Inside, a pile of video cassettes can be seen among the debris, one of which is notably related to Pakistan.

The video cassette, titled "Pakistan - The War Within," bears a label indicating it was released by the External Publicity Wing of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and is 30 minutes long.