On October 15, 2022, The Sri Lanka Guardian, which the Library of Congress describes as an “online newspaper on Sri Lankan society, culture, terrorism, and politics” reported that India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the foreign intelligence agency of India, has formed a new brigade in Bangladesh.
CHRD Bangladesh has also received reports from several reliable sources within Bangladesh to confirm the contents of the report.
This brigade, named Brigade 75, has reportedly been formed to protect Sheikh Hasina and her ministers. For the last two years, RAW has trained selected officials of Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the military intelligence agency of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, and formed this brigade.
Brigade 75 is said to have safe houses in Assam which can accommodate 5,000 detainees. It is unclear who is financing it. It has technological inputs from Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel. Brigade 75 is fully prepared to operate in Bangladesh in case of any disruption to the ruling party, the Awami League’s political agenda before the next parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of 2023.
It is reported that the principal objective of Brigade 75 is to protect Bangladesh from Islamic fundamentalists and to ensure by all means that the Bangladesh Awami League and its leader Sheikh Hasina remain in power. It is also reported that Brigade 75 has compiled a list of 50 attacks on churches, Hindu temples, and Bangladesh Awami League rallies to be carried out gradually before the next general elections.
The main objective of this brigade is to convince the United States, the European Union and their allies that the terrorist attacks are being carried out by the opposition, namely the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in attempts to portray the BNP as a threat to the international community. In doing so, the brigade will be able to claim that “radical Islam” is making a comeback in the Asia Pacific region and that the United States, along with its allies, needs to act quickly.
Furthermore, a list of opposition leaders has been prepared, notably with the name of Begum Khaleda Zia, the Chairperson of the BNP. It is hinted in the report that she may be poisoned, while it may be declared that she passed away due to natural causes.
It is noteworthy to mention that the online report by the Sri Lanka Guardian has been removed.
CHRD Bangladesh is profoundly concerned about any loss of life, violence, unjustified arrests and the regular practice of punitive actions taken by the government against anyone utilizing their constitutional rights of freedom of expression.
The United States State Department is consistent in its message to the Bangladesh authorities regarding the necessity of a democracy to have free and fair elections, the right to peaceful assembly of opposition parties, the right of freedom of expression and speech and the right of Bangladeshis to choose their own leaders.
*The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh is a nonprofit organization registered and based in the United States.
December 7, 2022
