The family members of Major MD Sadequl Hoque have denied allegations of conspiracy against the government, saying that the Bangladesh Army officer has been undergoing treatment for several months due to illness.
They said some vested quarters in the army were trying to frame Maj Sadeq as well as Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman.
Some former and current officers have also protested the armyโs move to detain Maj Sadeq and his wife and malign his image. They threatened to wage a revolt if Maj Sadeq was not released.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Army on Friday said that they took Maj Sadeq into custody and started an investigation after finding preliminary evidence of his alleged involvement with the training of Awami League members.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) said Maj Sadeq was detained from his residence in Uttara on July 17. The army has since launched an internal investigation and confirmed the initial validity of the claims.
Complaint filed at ICC against 3 army officers, Yunus-Waker for Gopalganj massacre
Milestone plane crash: How Yunus, army are trying to suppress death toll
“A military tribunal has been formed to conduct an impartial investigation,” the statement read. “If found guilty, the officer will face disciplinary action under existing military laws and regulations.” A separate tribunal has also been established to examine his unauthorised absence from duty.
The ISPR claimed that the Bangladesh Army is a non-political, disciplined, and professional institution with no tolerance for political activities by its personnel. Coordination is ongoing with police and other law enforcement agencies to pursue legal actions as necessary.
The development follows widespread public discussion after the daily Amar Desh newspaper, unpopular for spreading pro-Islamist propaganda, published a report on July 28 titled โAwami League Plots Nationwide Sabotage,โ alleging secret political planning by the Awami League.
Subsequent law enforcement actions led to the arrest of 16 individuals, including Maj Sadeq, for allegedly conducting paramilitary-style training sessions disguised as workshops at the KB Convention Centre in the Bashundhara area.
The army said the sessions involved over 400 cadres from the Awami League and its student wing, Chhatra League, who were reportedly being prepared for subversive activities. According to investigators, Maj Sadeq played a key role in organising and overseeing the training.
Senior journalists and political observers have brushed aside the armyโs claims, wondering how 400 people could topple the government and how they could train people for subversive activities in a daylong session.
โWe will revoltโ
Former and serving army officers have also protested the arrest of Maj Sadeq and the attempts to try him in a military tribunal. In social media posts, Major Imran Khan said that they would not accept if anything bad happened to him.
โThe junior officers will revolt. It will be a new history in Bangladesh.
โWe want him back at his workstation. We will not keep silent. It is not a crime to love Bangabandhu in Bangabandhuโs independent Bangladesh,โ he said in a Facebook post on Friday.
โI am protesting the detention of a commissioned officer and his wife for a [Facebook] post. I hope you will stand by our side. We are ready to revolt,โ he added.
Social media posts suggest that Maj Sadeq visited Tungipara in 2020 and shared a photo of himself in front of a portrait of the Father of the Nation on the occasion of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu.
On July 31, Maj Imran said: โMajor Sadeq was my batchmate. His crime was that he loved Bangabandhu. Bangabandhu and Awami League are not the same thing. The army has framed it in different ways and detained him and his wife. What kind of freedom is this in Bangabandhu’s independent country?
โThe Bangladesh Army is a symbol of an ideal. It is always committed to protecting the sovereignty of independence. There is no room to deny the contribution of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Bangladesh.
โI personally never liked politics and will never do politics as long as I live. Bangabandhu and Awami League are not the same thing.
โI may also have to be in army custody tomorrow. I am also a running major. My dear parents and relatives will all forgive me, because I also love Bangabandhu. As long as I serve, I will do it with respect for Bangabandhu.โ
Mother decries propaganda
Maj Sadeqโs mother-in-law shared a message on Facebook on Saturday, urging everyone to save him and stop the process of making him a pawn of politics. She also added a photo of Maj Sadeq being treated at CMH.
She said that most of the information being spread about Maj Sadeq was baseless and fabricated. โSadeq is a skilled, smart, calm, talented officer of the 74th BMA Long Course and one of the top officers in all the courses of the army.
โWhile talking about him, it is necessary to present some of his previous affairs to you at the beginning. He was posted to PGR in May 2023. But after a year, while he was working in the prime minister’s team, he was transferred from PGR to Jessore Cantonment in June 2024. He was indifferent to the duties. Therefore, it is not appropriate to keep him in PGR.
โLater, a few months later, while working in 2nd Bengal, he received a posting order to Ramu Cantonment. Meanwhile, although he was supposed to get the chance to go on the UN mission, his name was delayed due to a complaint from the PGR. In the meantime, Sadek joined Ramu Cantonment.
โBefore joining Ramu, he was on leave and was admitted to CMH for 1/2 week due to some physical problems. But he joined work before his leave ended.
โAfter completing all the work properly, Sadeq joined the month-long winter exercise but fell seriously ill on the way back.
โAt that time, he was taken to the ICU of Ramu CMH in an unconscious state. At that time, he sent a picture to his family, which I have given here. In such a state, he was brought to the Dhaka CMH. Later, after 21 days of treatment, as his checkup report was not good, he was again treated at Dhaka CMH under the cardiology and pulmonology departments for another 1.5-2 months.
โAs his treatment was ongoing, the unit extended his leave. Due to physical weakness, Sadek used to rest at his home most of the time. And his official leave was valid until July 22. And if he had any doubts in his mind, would he have stayed at his home?โ
She also questioned how it is possible for someone who is physically ill to train others. Such propaganda on social media seems to be a deliberate and deep conspiracy.
โThe intention of some people is not only to show Sadeq as guilty but also to target the respected army chief and say many things and put pressure on him,โ she said in her post.
English