Operation Clean Heart was an anti-crime operation jointly carried out by Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Ansar members in Bangladesh. The operation was carried by the government of Bangladesh headed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Operation The operation took place from 16 October 2002 to 9 January 2003 led by Bangladesh Army. Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch criticised the shoot at sight order given by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ashraful Huda to the police during the operation phrase. More than 40,000 security personnel participated in the operation. The security forces included 24,023 army personnel and 339 navy personnel along with personnel from Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Ansar, and Bangladesh Rifles. The joint forces arrested 11,245 suspects during the course of the operation. It seized 2,028 firearms and nearly 30,000 bullets.
Hundreds were injured and 44 died in custody. Human Rights Watch had claimed 60 people were killed in the operation. The Government of Bangladesh claimed 12 of those deaths in custody were from heart attacks. Awami League leader Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, cousin of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, were detained during the operation. The Army also raided the Awami League office and seized documents.
On 9 January 2003, Bangladesh government created an indemnity law, that provided legal protection to security personnel who participated in the operation. It was approved in the parliament of Bangladesh on 24 February 2003. Sultana Kamal, activist, criticized the indemnity ordinance. Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik criticized the drive and indemnity ordinance. After the operation ended, Rapid Action Battalion was created in 2004 with personnel from Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Ansar, Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Air Force, and Bangladesh Navy.
Legacy Z I Khan Panna, a lawyer of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, had filed a petition against the indemnity ordinance on 14 June 2012. He was represented by Shahdeen Malik. On 29 July 2012, justices Mirza Hussain Haider and Kazi Md. Ejarul Haque Akondo asked the government of Bangladesh to explain why it should not declare the ordinance illegal and order it pay 1 billion taka compensation to the victims. In November 2015, the Bangladesh High Court declared the indemnity ordinance illegal and scrapped it. The verdict was given by Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ashraful Kamal of the High Court Division.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina referred to Operation Clean Heart when defending her administrations record on human rights on 16 August 2020 following criticism by Bangladesh Nationalist Party which was in power when the operation was launched.
Deaths in the operation +NameAgeProfessionDate DetainedDate diedRemarksLocationRefShafiqul Islam16Jatiyotabadi Chattra Dol Activist17 October 200317 October 2003Killed in firing on protestorsBograMd. Yakub Ali40Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist17 October 200317 October 2003Died in custodyDhakaJahangir Hossain38Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist17 October 200317 October 2003Died in custodyDhakaAbul Khayer Molla50Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist19 October 200319 October 2003Died in Gopalganj Sadar Hospital after detentionGopalganj Afzal Hossain25Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist21 October 200321 October 2003Died in Savar Combined Military Hospital after detentionSavarAmirul Islam Rocket35Awami League Bhola District GS 22 October 200322 October 2003Died in Bhola Sadar Hospital after detentionBhola Saifuzzaman21 October 200322 October 2003Gaibandha Nazmul Islam Milan40Awami Jubo League activist23 October 200323 October 2003Died in Rajshahi Medical College hours after detentionRajshahiAbdul Aziz Sardar47Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist23 October 200325 October 2003Pangsha Khorshed35labourer26 October 200326 October 2003Beaten while sleeping by army soldiersRamgati Masum Biswas38Awami Jubo League activist27 October 200327 October 2003Cousin of Sheikh Helal, member of parliamentDhakaKala Chand Tripurapolice constable28 October 200328 October 2003Died in Chittagong Medical College HospitalChitttagongAbul Hossain Litu27Farmer28 October 200328 October 2003Army claimed died while trying to escapeSavarJamir Uddin29 October 200329 October 2003Died in Gopalganj Thana Health ComplexGolapganj Abu Syed Delu2229 October 200329 October 2003Died in Chest Disease HospitalDhakaJennifer Syed King25Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activist29 October 200330 October 2003PanchagarTota Mia37Awami Jubo League activist30 October 200330 October 2003Died within hours of detentionMadaripurMizanur Rahman Busha40Jubo Dal activist29 October 20031 November 2003ChuadangaLebu Mia45Farmer30 October 20031 November 2003HabiganjAbdul Haque32Microbus driver25 October 20034 November 2003Osmani Medical College HospitalSylhetRashedul Hasan35Assistant film director2 November 20037 November 2003Saiful Islam22Jubo Dal activist8 November 20038 November 2003Feni Sadar Hospital FeniAbu Sufian309 November 20039 November 2003Died in Bangladesh Army camp MohammadpurDhakaHaji Abul Kashem731 November 200310 November 2003Tangail General HospitalTangailZahirul Islam Mia25Jubo Dal activist19 November 200319 November 2003Mitford HospitalDhakaUnidentified4019 November 200319 November 2003Mitford Hospital; Army gave to police in critical conditionDhakaTasu Mia45Businessman19 November 200320 November 2003Army claimed he was hit by a busDhakaMasum3019 November 200321 November 2003Dhaka Medical College and HospitalDhakaHakimLabourer13 November 200321 November 2003Injured in a crossfire with army and criminalsDhakaShariful Mallik261 November 200321 November 2003Died on way to Khulna Medical College HospitalKhulnaArju Mia3825 November 200321 November 2003Gazipur Sadar HospitalGazipurTipu Biswas35Jubo Dal activist30 November 200330 November 2003Died in Army custodyKhulnaAbdus SattarBusinessman10 December 200310 December 2003Bogra Mohammad Ali HospitalBograNabi Hossain Kahn50Rickshawpuller14 December 200314 December 2003Found dead in a pond after being detained by the ArmyNarsinghdiJasim Uddin2515 December 200315 December 2003Combined Military HospitalDhakaShafiuddin Swapan35Jubo Dal activist16 December 200316 December 2003Dhaka Medical College and HospitalDhakaOmar Faruk4615 December 200316 December 2003Brother of Bangladesh Nationalist Party activistDhakaIbrahim Khalil IbuChhatra League activist15 December 200316 December 2003Dhaka Medical College and HospitalDhakaMir Jahirul Rabin22Tejgaon College student4 December 200316 December 2003Dhaka Medical College and HospitalDhakaAbu Barek Rubel2416 December 200316 December 2003Boalkhali HospitalBoalkhaliYusuf3420 December 200320 December 2003Combined Military HospitalDhakaMohammad Rashed2525 December 200325 December 2003SandwipUnidentifiedleader of an outlaw party6 January 20046 January 2004Died a few hours after detentionPabnaAbdul Khaleq Sarkar28Businessman8 January 20048 January 2004Gazipur Sadar HospitalGazipur
See also Operation Devil Hunt References