The Ansar Battalion Bill, 2023, was placed in Parliament on Monday, keeping the death penalty as the maximum punishment for different crimes including mutiny and provocation for rebellion.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan placed the Bill and it was sent to the respective scrutiny committee for further examination. The committee was asked to submit its report within three working days.

According to the proposed law, there will be two courts to try the internal crimes of Ansar battalion members.

One is ‘Summary Ansar Battalion Court’ to be headed by an additional director and another is ‘Special Ansar Battalion Court’ to be headed by the director general.

Serious crimes like committing mutiny, instigating for revolt, creating ground for rebellion, engaging in conspiracy will be tried in the Special Ansar Battalion Court. The maximum punishment for such crimes is the death penalty.

Besides, other serious crimes related to the punitive provisions ranging from life imprisonment to minimum five years of imprisonment will be tried in special courts.

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As per the Bill, a battalion member shall, in the case of an offence committed against him, with the approval of the superior officer concerned, arrest the offender and immediately hand him over to the police and, as the case may be, on the direction of the Judicial Magistrate or the Executive Magistrate or the officer responsible for the purpose, to search the person, enter and can search any place and seize the goods.

Opposing the Bill, Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam said that this law might create Ansar as a parallel force to the Police. He pointed out that Ansar was created to assist the law and order forces. “But according to sections seven and eight of the bill, the Ansar forces can do what the police do.”

Fakhrul Imam said that the new law gives the power to arrest on the orders of a responsible officer like the police. “If the bill is passed like this, the Ansar force will become .”

He asked the Home Minister to take back the bill and place it before the House afresh.

The Home Minister in reply said that during any disaster Ansar members cooperate with other forces. He also mentioned that during the elections the police force is not enough to maintain law and order. For that purpose, some six lakh Ansar members have been recruited till now.

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The Minister mentioned that the same number of Ansar forces should be recruited during the coming elections. He said that the government has no plan to create Ansar as a parallel force to the police.

He said that if there are any conflicting provisions in the draft Bill, it will be amended in the parliamentary committee.

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