Members of Bangladesh Army have been deployed to manage the heavy flooding and its aftermath in Sylhet and Sunamganj.

The deployment comes following a request from the civil administration, according to the ISPR.

Talking to our Sylhet correspondent, Mujibur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Sylhet, said members of Bangladesh Army will rescue stranded people using boats.

The DC also said the flood situation is getting worse and considering the situation, the cooperation of army has been sought in rescuing affected people.

According to the ISPR, the army personnel were deployed in three upazilas – Sadar, Gowainghat, and Companiganj – of Sylhet district, and five upazilas – Sadar, Jamalganj, Dirai, Doarabazar and Chhatak – in Sunamganj district.

Photo: Collected

Apart from these, the army men will take the flood-affected people to a safer place, select temporary shelters for those people with the association of civil administration and arrange food and drinking water for them.

Also, they will provide medical aid and assist the civil administration in protecting food storages, power stations and other installations.

Sylhet district's Gowainghat, Kanaighat, Companiganj, Jaintiapur, and Sylhet Sadar upazilas are the most affected along with parts of Sylhet city that lies beside the Surma river.

Sunamganj town is the worst hit as almost all areas in the town have been flooded along with low-lying areas of Chhatak, Dowarabazar, Sunamganj Sadar, Bishwambarpur and Tahirpur upazilas.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center, at 9am today (June 17, 2022), the water of Surma river was flowing 108 cm above the danger level at Kanaighat point in Sylhet, 70 cm above the danger mark at Sylhet city point and 120 cm above the Sunamganj town point.

The Sarigowain river is flowing 23 cm above the danger level at Sarighat in Jaintapur upazila of Sylhet while water of Puratan Surma river is flowing 2 cm above the danger level at Dirai in Sunamganj.

Heavy flooding in Sylhet and Sunamganj has left several lakh people marooned.

Around 10,000 people took refuge in temporary flood shelters which have been opened up in primary schools.

Road communications with Chhatak and Tahirpur upazilas with the district headquarters have been snapped since Wednesday.

A day after Padma Bridge was opened, two young men died in a motorcycle accident on the bridge on Sunday (June 26, 2022).

In addition to being branded as one of the many "firsts" in regards to the long-cherished Padma Bridge, the accident brought with it a baffling challenge – which law enforcement unit will be investigating this?

Turns out there are as many as 11 law enforcement units in charge of the 6.15km long Padma Bridge.

Photo: PMO

Starting from the structure's concrete, the water below it, the land below the water, the roads and highways on either side, the rail line running across, to the activities surrounding the mega structure – Padma Bridge has been carved up like a fish into several jurisdictions.

After Sunday's accident, The Daily Star called the newly-opened Padma Bridge (North) police station. When the police station was unreachable, the reporter contacted Munshiganj police.

Photo: PMO

Additional superintendent of police in Munshiganj, Sumon Deb, told The Daily Star that they learnt the accident happened between the 26th and 27th pillars, and therefore the accident does not fall within their jurisdiction. It's supposed to be overseen by the Padma Bridge (South) police station. Deb helpfully recommended that they be contacted instead.

The newly opened Padma Bridge (South) police station falls in Shariatpur district. So, when that station too was unreachable, just like its northern counterpart, our reporter called Shariatpur police.

SM Mizanur Rahman, additional superintendent of police of Shariatpur district's Naria circle, said that the site of the accident is such that it does not fall within the boundaries of Shariatput. It is under the jurisdiction of Madaripur district's Shibchar police station.

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He too helpfully suggested that Madaripur police be contacted.

And so, Madaripur's Shibchar highway police station's officer-in-charge Gazi Md Sakhawat Hossain was contacted. He was quick to point out that since the accident happened on top of the bridge and not on land, it has to be investigated by Padma Bridge (South) police station.

Pillar number 1 to 16 straddle Munshiganj district and are supposedly under the Padma Bridge (North) police station.

Pillar number 17 to 31 fall under Madaripur's Shibchar. From pillar number 32 to 42, the land belongs to Shariatpur district. However, the span of the bridge between pillars 17 and 42 are supposed to be overseen by the Padma Bridge (South) police station, The Daily Star was told.

However, their responsibility ends at the edge of Padma Bridge – everything below the concrete is part of the river and therefore under the jurisdiction of the River Police.

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As Shariatpur district's Majhirghat River Police's officer-in-charge confirmed, if anything happens underneath the section of the bridge between pillars 17 and 42, it is indeed their responsibility.

For them, however, the river begins at pillar number 17 – the air and water below pillars 1 to 16 need to be supervised by Munshiganj's Mawa River Police.

This super-complex math problem does not end here. If any accident happens at the point where the Padma Bridge meets the highway, it is under the jurisdiction of the highway police. For such incidents, the case will be lodged with the district police, while the Criminal Investigation Department will investigate the crime scene.

For the Padma Bridge project, Bangladesh Army is in charge of providing all forms of technical and security support.

On the other hand, as an elite force, if Rab gets any information about crime happening there – on, over, under, or around the bridge, they will be able to conduct drives they deem necessary.

In that case, part of the responsibility falls with Rab-11. Rab-11 oversees Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Lakshmipur, Noakhali, Chandpur and Dhaka district's Nababganj and Dohar.

However, pillar number 17 onwards, they have to hand over the baton to Rab-8, which oversees Barishal, Barguna, Patuakhali, Rajbari, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bhola, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Shariatpur and Madaripur.

The Padma Bridge railway is supposed to be operational between March and June next year. In that case, if there is any accident concerning the rail line, that will be overseen by the railway police.

Dhaka Railway police station's officer-in-charge Mazharul Haque confirmed as much. He told our reporters that the rail line itself and 10 feet of space on either side of the rail line will be under the jurisdiction of railway police.

Up until the time when a new railway police station can be established, Dhaka railway police will be in charge.

Now all that are left to consider are the air and sky above Padma Bridge.

Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman has vowed to back the country's interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus "come what may" to help it complete key reforms so that elections could be held within the next 18 months.

General Waker and his troops stood aside in early August amid raging student-led protests against Sheikh Hasina, sealing the fate of the veteran politician who resigned as prime minister after 15 years in power and fled to neighbouring India.

In a rare media interview, Waker told Reuters at his office in the capital on Monday that the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Yunus had his full support and outlined a pathway to rid the military of political influence.

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"I will stand beside him, come what may. So that he can accomplish his mission," Waker, bespectacled and dressed in military fatigues, said of Yunus.

The pioneer of the global microcredit movement, Yunus has promised to carry out essential reforms to the judiciary, police and financial institutions, paving the way to hold a free and fair election in the country of 170 million people.

Following the reforms, Waker -- who took over as the army chief only weeks before Hasina's ouster -- said a transition to democracy should be made between a year and a year-and-a-half, but underlined the need for patience.

"If you ask me, then I will say that should be the time frame by which we should enter into a democratic process," he said.

Bangladesh's main two political parties, Hasina's Awami League and its bitter rival BNP, had both previously called for elections to be held within three months of the interim government taking office in August.

Yunus, the interim administration's chief adviser, and the army chief meet every week and have "very good relations", with the military supporting the government's efforts to stabilise the country after a period of turmoil, said Waker.

"I'm sure that if we work together, there is no reason why we should fail," he said.

More than 1,000 people were killed in violent clashes that began as a movement against public sector job quotas in July but escalated into a wider anti-government uprising -- the bloodiest period in the country's independent history.

Calm has returned to the teeming streets of Dhaka, a densely packed metropolis that was at the heart of the rebellion, but some parts of the civil service are not yet properly functional after the dramatic fall of Hasina's administration.

With much of Bangladesh's police, numbering around 190,000 personnel, still in disarray, the army has stepped up to carry out law and order duties nationwide.

PUNISHMENTS AND REFORMS

Born out of erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971 after a bloody independence war, Bangladesh came under military rule in 1975, following the assassination of its first prime minister, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina's father.

In 1990, the country's military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad was toppled in a popular uprising, leading to the restoration of democracy.

The military again staged a coup in 2007, backing a caretaker government that ruled until Hasina took power two years later.

A career infantry officer who served through these periods of turmoil, Waker said that the Bangladesh Army that he leads would not intervene politically.

"I will not do anything which is detrimental to my organisation," he said, "I am a professional soldier. I would like to keep my army professional."

In line with sweeping government reforms proposed since Hasina was shunted from power, the army, too, is looking into allegations of wrongdoing by its personnel and has already punished some soldiers, Waker said, without providing further details.

"If there is any serving member who is found guilty, of course I will take action," he said, adding that some military officials may have acted out of line while working at agencies directly controlled by the former prime minister or interior minister.

The interim government has formed a five-member commission, headed by a former high court judge, to investigate reports of up to 600 people who may have been forcibly "disappeared" by Bangladesh's security forces since 2009.

In the longer-term, however, Waker wanted to distance the political establishment from the army, which has more than 130,000 personnel and is a major contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions.

"It can only happen if there is some balance of power between president and prime minister, where the armed forces can be placed directly under president," he said.

Bangladesh's armed forces currently come under the defence ministry, which is typically controlled by the prime minister, an arrangement that Waker said a constitutional reform process under the interim government could potentially look to amend.

"The military as a whole must not be used for political purpose ever," he said. "A soldier must not indulge in politics."

Bangladesh Army chief General Aziz Ahmed received Covid-19 vaccine at Dhaka Combined Military Hospital (CMH) today, according to a press release from ISPR.

After taking the vaccine, General Aziz, who joined work today after a trip to USA, called upon people to take the vaccine and shun rumours over the vaccination.  

He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for taking measures to vaccinate mass people including members of Bangladesh Army.

As per the instruction of the army chief, Covid-19 inoculation has started at all the CMHs across the country under the nationwide vaccination programme that began on February 7.