Court grants bail to 10 militants, fueling fears of rising terrorism in Bangladesh

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

In a highly controversial move, District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Mosleh Uddin has granted bail to 10 members of the militant group Jamaatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, who were arrested in Bandarban for their alleged involvement in terrorism.

The bail decision, made on November 18, has sparked renewed concerns over the group’s activities and its growing influence.

The case shines a spotlight on the alarming rise of radicalization in Bangladesh.

Between February 2021 and September 2022, around 55 young people from across the country mysteriously disappeared, allegedly drawn by extremist ideology.

These individuals are believed to have traveled to remote camps in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) to undergo militant training under the banner of “Hijrat”—a religiously charged migration to join jihadist activities.

The youths, hailing from both urban and rural areas, are thought to have received specialized training in bomb-making, firearms handling, and other forms of combat in the dense forest of Bandarban and Rangamati.

Intelligence reports indicate that these camps were located in Bilaichhari (Rangamati), as well as Rowangchhari and Ruma upazilas (Bandarban)—areas historically linked to insurgent activity.

The training camps were allegedly facilitated by the Kuki Chin National Front (KNF), a regional separatist group with known ties to armed insurgencies in the CHT.

Acting on intelligence, joint security forces managed to apprehend 28 suspects believed to have been involved in these militant operations.

These arrests are part of a broader counterterrorism effort that has escalated since September 2022.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other law enforcement agencies have played a key role in dismantling Jamaatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya’s network, which has been linked to several high-profile attacks in Bangladesh.

Earlier on September, the court had granted bail to 28 members of the group in four separate cases.

However, the bail was swiftly revoked after it was found that the individuals had violated the conditions of their release, raising further questions about the group’s ongoing radicalization efforts.

Jamaatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya remains classified as a terrorist organization by the Bangladeshi government, with its activities posing a growing national security threat.

The group’s increasing recruitment of young Bangladeshis for jihadist training underscores the urgency of counterterrorism measures.

In the wake of the decision to grant bail, critics are now questioning the leadership of the Younus-led interim government.

They argue that the release of militants and high-profile criminals from jail could be emboldening extremist factions.

Since the fall of the Hasina-led government on August 5, at least 43 high-profile criminals and militants have reportedly been granted bail, fueling fears of a resurgence in militant activity.

As the legal process advances, the government is facing escalating pressure to take decisive action against the rising tide of extremism and to prevent further violence linked to groups like Jamaatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, whose activities threaten to destabilize the region.