The Bangladesh Ansar mutiny was a

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

staged from 1 December to 4 December 1994, in Shafipur and Khilgaon by a section of the

Bangladesh Ansar The Bangladesh Ansar (also known as the Ansar Bahini) is a paramilitary auxiliary force responsible for the preservation of internal security and law enforcement in Bangladesh. It is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government ...

, a

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

force tasked with providing security to government installations and aiding law enforcement in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. The mutiny prompted a series of reforms by the government.

Background

The Ansar force was formed as the "East Pakistan Ansars" by the East Pakistan Ansars Act of 1948, and officially launched on 12 February 1948. From 1948 to 1972, it was under the National Service Board. In 1973, it was placed under the

Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

and an Ansar cadre was formed in the

Bangladesh Civil Service Bangladesh Civil Service ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সিভিল সার্ভিস ), more popularly known by its acronym BCS, is the civil service of Bangladesh. Civil service in the Indian subcontinent originated from the Imperial ...

. Together with its sister organization

Village Defence Party The Village Defence Party (VDPs) is a law enforcement force in Bangladesh, organised in distinct units at the level of individual villages and urban towns. It is administered by the Home Ministry of the central Government of Bangladesh. Although do ...

, it has over 4 million members including reserves.

Events

The Bangladesh Ansar mutinied in the

Ansar Academy Ansar-VDP Academy is a training institute. It is responsible for the training of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defense Party in Bangladesh. It is located at Shafipur, Gazipur District Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a district in cent ...

in Shafipur, and Khilgaon on 1 December 1994, demanding higher pay, job security and better treatment from officers. The mutiny was ended on 4 December 1994, when a

military operation A military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operations may ...

was launched by Bangladesh Rifles, supported by the

Bangladesh Police The Bangladesh Police ( bn, বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ) of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a law enforcement agency, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcement ...

and helicopters from

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনী, Bangladesh Biman Bahini) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The Air Force is primarily responsible for air defence of B ...

. Official estimates place the death toll at 1 or 2 and 12-40 Ansar personnel were injured. Independent estimates place 30 mutineers among the casualty.

Aftermath

Journalist and

social critic Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism focusing on social issues in contemporary society, in particular with respect to perceived injustices and power relations in general. Social criticism of the Enlightenment The orig ...

Farhad Mazhar Farhad Mazhar ( bn, ফরহাদ মজহার; born 9 August 1947) is a Bangladeshi poet, philosopher, writer, columnist, pharmacist, social and human rights activist, and environmentalist. He is one of the founders and the managing director ...

, called the mutiny inevitable because of the social discrimination faced by members of Bangladesh Ansar. He was jailed for his views on the mutiny.

Reform

In response to the agitations, the government passed a series of acts in the Jatiya Sangsad. These include Ansar Bahini Act (1995), Battalion Ansar Act (1995) and the Village Defence Party Act (1995). Under these acts, the Ansar Bahini and the Battalion Ansars were declared a "Disciplined Force" in accordance with article 152 of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

. The government set up Ansar VDP Bank where the members of Ansar-VDP were decided to be the shareholders. The bank also provides soft loans to Ansar members.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangladesh Ansar Mutiny, 1994 1994 crimes in Bangladesh Conflicts in 1994

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Murder in Bangladesh Mutinies Hostage taking in Bangladesh Military history of Bangladesh History of Bangladesh (1971–present) 1990s in Dhaka 1994 in military history Military coups in Bangladesh 1990s coups d'état and coup attempts