Bangladesh Timeline Year 2005

January 1

Nyamat Ali alias Nyiat, a cadre of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) –Janajuddha faction, is killed during an encounter with the police at Alamdanga in the Chuadanga district.

The PBCP (ML faction) reportedly killed its cadre Imran alias Hasan to 'avenge' the killing of the outfit's leader Mofakkhar Chowdhury.

January 2

Sayed Kawsar Hussain Siddiki Raja, ‘chief’ of the Islamist terrorist group, Shahadat-e Al Hiqma, is remanded to police custody in Rajshahi district for the third time.

The High Court stays for another three weeks the Government’s ban on Ahmadiyya publications.

January 3

Alleged suicide bomb squads threatened to kill former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, and blow up her Sudha Sadan residence for bringing her son, Joy, into politics.

January 6

A regional leader of the PBCP, identified as Iqbal Hossain alias Shaikat, is killed during an encounter with the police at Gilatala in the Khulna district.

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel seize a cache of arms and ammunition, including 11 AK 47 rifles, 53 magazines and 1,506 bullets, from Naikkhongchhari in the Bandarban district of Chittagong region.

January 10

Abdul Hai, ‘zonal leader’ of the PBCP is killed during an encounter with the security force personnel in the Abhoynagar area of Jessore district.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel shot dead ‘vice president’ of Rajshahi Division of the PBCP-ML, Moslem Mollah, at Jigrihat in the Natore district.

January 12

At least 35 people are wounded during bomb attacks on two cultural functions in the Jamalpur and neighbouring Sherpur districts.

Two leaders of the proscribed Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF), including its former ‘general secretary’ Billal Hossain and an ‘advisor’ of the outfit in Kushtia region, Mahamudul Haq Dilu, are killed during an encounter with the police at Swastipur village in Kushtia district after being arrested from the Motijheel area of capital Dhaka.

January 14

Ajmat Ali, regional leader of an unspecified left-wing extremist organisation, is killed during a shootout between Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel and cadres of the outfit at Hideshkhol village in Pabna district.

According to Daily Star, widows of PBCP leaders in Khulna district have formed a suicide squad to avenge killings of their husbands in reported encounters with police during the last one year.

January 17

Didarul Islam Palash alias Shyamal, ‘operational commander’ of the Khulna Metropolitan city unit of PBCP Janajuddha faction is killed during a shootout with police personnel at Sonadanga in Khulna district.

Delwar Hossain Dulal alias Dayal, ‘regional leader’ of the GMF and Sirajul Islam alias Ilu, ‘arms commander’ of the Jashod Gono Bahini (JGB), who were earlier arrested on January 16 from Ratulpara village and Blackpara of Iswardi municipality area respectively, are killed in crossfire while leading the RAB for recovery of arms in Bakapul area of Kushtia district.

January 22

Three cadres of the vigilante Islamist outfit, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), are killed by an angry mob following the killing of Mahbub Hossain Dewan, the Awami League publicity secretary, at ward no. 9 of Taherpur municipality and a subsequent attack on a local body chairman in the Bagmara area of Rajshahi district.

January 26

Dipankar Sarkar, a leader of the New Biplobi Communist Party (NBCP), is killed during an encounter with the police at Wapda in the Khulna district.

January 27

Former Finance Minister, Shah AMS Kibria, and four other Awami League (AL) activists are killed and at least 70 persons sustain injuries during a grenade attack on an AL rally at Boidder Bazaar in the Habiganj district.

January 28

A regional leader of the PBCP, Entaj alias Enta, is killed during crossfire between police and his accomplices at Khirpota village in the Natore district.

January 30

Three senior cadres of the Janajuddha faction of PBCP are killed in two incidents of crossfire with the police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in the Chuadanga district.

January 31

According to Daily Star, preliminary investigations by the security agencies have revealed a section of the ruling Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami activists to be the prime suspects in the January 27-grenade blasts that killed former Finance Minister, S A Kibria, and four others in the Habiganj district.

A businessman, identified as Bishu Aich, is reported to have died as suspected Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) cadres lobbed an unspecified number of bombs at a shopping centre in the Kotwali area of Chittagong.

The Natore police, reportedly with the help of villagers, arrested 12 Jamaatul Mujahidin activists and followers of vigilante Islamist leader, Bangla Bhai, from the Pirganj Sadhupara mosque in the Natore district.

February 2

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, scheduled for February 6 and 7, 2005, was postponed indefinitely after India announces that the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, could not attend the meeting due to poor security conditions in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, and recent developments in Nepal. Earlier, the summit, scheduled from January 9 to 11, was postponed in the wake of the Tsunami.

February 3

According to Daily Star, the 12 Jamaatul Mujahidin activists arrested in Natore district on February 2 have links with the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student front, the Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS).

February 4

Police arrest three Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists and detain 18 people for questioning from Habiganj and Sylhet in connection with the January 27-grenade blasts at Habiganj.

February 5

Four journalists are injured during a bomb explosion at the press club premises in Khulna.

February 7

A regional leader of the PBCP-Janajuddha, Shahin Mollah, is killed during an encounter with the police at Shihala village in the Kushtia district.

February 8

Three PBCP-ML extremists are killed in ‘crossfire’ between police and their party cadres at Jugipara in the Rajshahi district.

February 9

In Rajbari district, the second-in-command of a left-wing outfit, Tikka Bahini, identified as Abul Kalam Azad, is killed and six persons are injured during an encounter in Pangsha.

February 11

The Khulna Bureau Chief of Daily Sangram, Shaikh Belaluddin Belal, succumbs to injuries sustained in the February 5-bomb attack in Khulna. In a letter to two Khulna newspapers, the PBCP claims responsibility for the attack.

February 12

PBCP-Janajuddha second-in-command, Mohidul Islam alias Samim Malitha, is killed in an encounter with the police at Lalonnagar village in Kushtia district.

February 13

An ICS cadre, Hossain Ahmad alias Foyez Munna, is killed during crossfire between RAB personnel and his accomplices at Mirerkhil in the Khulna district.

February 14

At least 16 people, including 12 Dhaka University (DU) students, are wounded as four bombs exploded at a Valentine's Day gathering in front of the DU Teachers-Students Centre.

February 16

In separate incidents of bomb attacks carried out by Islamist extremists since February 13, eight persons have been injured in different parts of the country.

February 18

Anwarul alias Zihad, a regional leader of the Janajuddha faction of PBCP is killed in an encounter between police and extremists at a village in the Chuadanga district.

In the capital Dhaka, police confiscated some copies of two newly published books, allegedly containing seditious content, written by the Awami League leader and former minister, Prof Abu Sayeed, from his residence. One of the books titled Aghoshito Juddher Blueprint (Blueprint of an Undeclared War) in Bangla explains the rise of communalism and Islamist militants in Bangladesh. The second, Brutal Crime Documents, in English portrays the alleged brutalities suffered by opposition parties since the 2001 elections. The books reportedly claim that approximately 50,000 militants belonging to more than 40 groups are currently controlling a vast area of Bangladesh, with help from ruling coalition partner, Jamaat-e-Islami, and a section of the Bangladesh National Party.

February 20

Twelve suspected Islamist extremists are arrested during separate raids at the Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka and Joypurhat district.

February 21

The United Nations announces a Level-1 security warning in Bangladesh for its officials asking them to inform the Dhaka office before making a visit to the country. The warning has been issued amidst a Level-2 warning earlier imposed for the Cox's Bazaar since October 28, 2004.

February 22

A regional leader of the PBCP, identified as Moazzem Ali alias 'Koshai' Moazzem, is killed by the police during an encounter at village Dakhalpur in the Jhenidah district.

12 suspected militants of the Jamaatul Mujahideen are arrested in Gaibandha.

February 23

The Ministry of Home Affairs announces a ban on the vigilante Islamist group, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), and Jamaatul Mujaheedin. "The two banned organisations have been engaged in killing, dacoity, bomb attacks, issuing threats and other subversive activities in different parts of the country, endangering the lives of the common people and destroying their property," said a press note issued by the ministry.

February 24

Eleven alleged activists of the banned Islamist militant group Jamaatul Mujahideen are arrested from different places in the Dinajpur and Thakurgaon districts.

February 25

The jailed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) leader, Anup Chetia, whose prison term ended on the day, asks the Bangladesh Government to hand him over to a 'neutral' country, preferably in Europe.

March 1

A regional leader of the left-wing extremist group Gono Mukti Fouj, identified as Ijjat Ali, is killed in 'crossfire' between his accomplices and police at Char Milpara in the Kushtia district.

March 2

Mohammad Nasiruddin alias Gittu Nasir, a senior Islami Chhatra Shibir cadre, is killed in 'crossfire' between Rapid Acton Battalion and his gang at Chaira Havilderpara village in the Chittagong district.

Manjur Rahman Sardar, a cadre of the Lal Potaka faction of the PBCP is killed in 'crossfire' between police and his associates in the Moshai Beel area of Rajshahi district.

Ten persons are injured during a bomb explosion at a religious gathering in the Parulia Narsinghapur village of Narsingdi district.

March 4

Abdus Sattar, a regional leader of the Jashod Gono Bahini, is killed in a shootout between his accomplices and the police at Kushlibasa village in the Kushtia district.

March 6

A regional leader of the left-wing extremist Jashod Gono Bahini, identified as Ruhul Amin, is killed in crossfire with the police at Kanchanpur village in the Kushtia district.

March 7

The RAB personnel kill Abdus Samad Tikka of the left-wing extremist Gono Mukti Fouz group during crossfire between his accomplices and the police at village Dahkula in Kushtia district.

Islamist activists of the International Khatme Nabuwat Movement Bangladesh announce a programme to besiege the Ahmadiyya establishment in Gaibandha on March 11 at a meeting held on Al-Falha Madrassa premises on March 7.

March 8

A cadre of the left-wing extremist New Biplobi Communist Party is killed in an encounter with the police at village Dhuliarchar in the Rajbari district.

March 9

A cadre of the left-wing extremist group, Jashod Gono Bahini, is killed during crossfire between his accomplices and the police at village Salgharmadhua in Kushtia district.

March 14

The BDR personnel recover seven sub-machine guns, 29 land mines and seven communication devices from a remote area of Naikkhongchhari sub-district in the Bandarban district

March 13

Four cadres of the Purba Banglar Sarbohara Party are killed and six police personnel sustain injuries during an encounter at Laskardia village in the Rajbari district.

March 15

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, while speaking in the parliament, warns the donor agencies and foreign nations against interfering in the country's domestic affairs. She said, "I want to tell them firmly that we won't put up with such interference. I want to tell the foreigners categorically that Bangladesh will not be run by any diktats or orders of any foreign force."

March 17

According to Daily Star, a high-powered Government investigation has identified eight ruling BNP cadres as responsible for the January 27-grenade attack on an Awami League meeting at Baidder Bazaar in the Habiganj district that killed five people, including former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria, and injured 70 others.

March 18

A local ‘commander’ of the Janajuddha faction of the PBCP, identified as Mashud, is killed during an encounter between his accomplices and the police at village Kasba-Bhatpara in the Meherpur district.

March 20

While refuting claims that his country’s soil was being used by terrorists from India’s Northeast, the Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner, Touhid Hossain, says in Shillong that an invitation sent to New Delhi two years ago to assess the ground realities still remained ‘unaddressed’. Addressing the media after his three-day tour of Meghalaya, he said India’s plea for the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) terrorist Anup Chetia’s extradition was a court case, and added, "The matter is sub-judice. Nothing can be done now."

March 21

Two regional leaders of the Lal Pataka faction of the PBCP, identified as Abdul Majid alias Jihad and Rafiqul Islam alias Tinu, are killed during an encounter with the police at Raninagar in the Naogaon district.

March 27

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, while speaking at a public meeting in Dhaka, calls for a movement against those co-ordinating smear campaigns at home and abroad against Bangladeshi interests. She claimed, "Those who are halting country's advance--by way of spreading false propaganda through distributing leaflets abroad against the country… are anti-independence; they have to be identified."

March 31

The Rapid Action Battalion personnel recover an unspecified quantity of bombs and bomb-making materials contained in two sacks in the Madhabdi police station area of capital Dhaka. Three persons were arrested in this connection.

April 3

Bangladesh and India have reportedly agreed to set up new boundary pillars, to restore the damaged ones, and resolve amicably the disputes over illegally-occupied lands along the border. According to Bangladesh officials, an accord was reached after a three-day joint border survey in the Tentulia and Sadar sub-districts concluded on April 3.

  Two cadres of the Gono Mukti Fouz and another of the Janajuddha faction of the PBCP are killed during an encounter with the police at Dahkula village in the Kushtia district and Teltupi village in Jhenidah district respectively.

April 7

Waliur Rahman alias Raju, a regional leader of the proscribed Sarbahara party, and his bodyguard are killed during an encounter between the police and Sarbhara cadres at Do-Sotina village in the Magura district.

42 cadres of the outlawed Islamist vigilante group, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, are released on bail from the Rajshahi central jail.

April 9

Sentinel, quoting the Border Security Force (BSF) Inspector General (Meghalaya, Assam and Manipur Sector) S C Srivastava, said that 18 northeast insurgent leaders were presently being held captive by the Bangladesh Government. Srivastava further said that India had provided the names of 160 other cadres of different groups taking shelter in that country. "The Bangladesh Government either cites a judicial process being undertaken or blatantly denies the presence of militants in its soil," he added.

A senior cadre, identified as Moinal Hossain of the outlawed Gono Mukti Fouz, is killed during "crossfire" between police and his accomplices at Bot Toila village in the Kushtia district.

April 12

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat urges the Government to provide proper safety measures at the mosque complex located at Sundarban Bazaar in the Satkhira district.

April 16

An Assistant Commandant of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) is killed and two BSF personnel sustained injuries during firing by personnel of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) along the Lankabari border outpost in Tripura. "From the marks on the ground, the spot enquiry established that assistant commandant Jeevan Kumar and constable K. K. Surendran were dragged inside Bangladesh territory and attacked by the BDR, resulting in the death of the assistant commandant," said an Indian High Commission press release in Dhaka.

April 17

The Director General of Indian BSF, R.S. Mooshahary, says that the BSF has handed over a list of 190 camps of terrorist outfits in Bangladesh to the BDR during a meeting between the two Forces, which concluded in Dhaka on the same day. Mooshahary added that the BSF also handed over a list of 161 terrorists taking shelter in Bangladesh and requested the BDR to take action to evict them.

April 19

India lodges a strong protest against the ‘pre-mediated and preplanned’ killing of an Assistant Commandant of the BSF by the BDR along the border in Tripura and warns Dhaka that its ‘repercussions’ cannot be ignored. Bangladesh’s Acting High Commissioner in Delhi, Masud Bin Momen, was summoned on April 19 and conveyed India’s ‘deep disappointment and regret’ over the incident.

April 20

The Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shivraj Patil, informed the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) on April 20 that Bangladesh has assured India that it would investigate the killing of a BSF officer inside Bangladeshi territory and fix responsibility for the crime. He said, "Bangladesh Home Minister spoke to me and expressed regret over the incident. The matter will be investigated, responsibility will be fixed and action will be taken against the perpetrators."

April 23

Two cadres of the outlawed left-wing extremist group, Gono Mukti Fouz, identified as Jahid Hossain alias Jahid Master and Amjad Hossain, are killed during separate incidents of "crossfire" between police and their accomplices in the Kushtia district.

April 24

Abdus Sattar, a cadre of the Biplobi Communist Party, is killed during crossfire with the police at Nayanpur in the Kushtia district.

April 27

India asks Bangladesh for details of the case involving the ULFA 'general secretary' Anup Chetia. Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri says in Shillong, capital of the Indian State of Meghalaya, "Chetia's jail term expired on February 25. But when we recently conveyed to the Bangladesh Government India's request for his deportation, the High Commission was told that the case is still sub-judice. So we have asked for the nature and details of the case from Bangladesh Government."

Atiyar Rahman, a cadre of the Biplobi Communist Party, is killed during an encounter with the police at Radhanagar village in the Kushtia district.

Police in Jhenidah arrest two suspected Harkatul Jihad terrorists, Masudur Rahman and Azizul Haq Chand, along with firearms in Garaganj village.

Suspected cadres of the Gono Mukti Fouz abduct and subsequently kill two businessmen near Bhadalia-Bangshitala Highway in the Kushtia district.

An armed cadre belonging to the Janajuddha faction of the PBCP is killed by unidentified men.

The JeI chief, Matiur Rahman Nizami, says that his party has achieved its short-term goal of coming into mainstream politics and asks party cadres to work towards achieving the long-term programme of turning Bangladesh into an Islamic state.

Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan denies the presence of any international terrorist group on the soil of Bangladesh. In a statement released in Dhaka, he says, "There is neither any international terrorist group operating from Bangladesh nor any group having link with Al-Qaeda or any other international terrorist group."

May 7

Delwar Hossain alias Azrail Delwar, an ICS cadre, is killed during an encounter with the police at Charia in the Chittagong district.

May 10

A regional leader of the PBCP Janajuddha faction, identified as Jhankar, is killed during an encounter with the police at village Pirpur under Sadar sub-district in Chuadanga district.

May 12

Atiar Rahman, a PBCP leader, is killed during an encounter at Sambhunagar area of Sadar sub-district in Chuadanga district.

PBCP regional leader, Baki Billah, is killed during an encounter at Rajghat sub-district of Rajshahi district.

May 13

Kenyan police arrests 63 Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals in the port city of Mombassa for suspected terrorist links.

Hasanuzzaman Babu, a suspected BCP leader, is killed in ‘crossfire’ between security forces and his associates at Bagdanga in the Sadar subdistrict of Kushtia district.

May 14

A suspected BCP cadre, Ainal Haque Titas, is killed during an encounter with the police in the Sadar sub-district of Jhenaidah district.

May 15

Siddiqur Rahman Gazi, a PBCP-Janajuddha regional leader, is killed during an encounter with the Rapid Action Battalion personnel at Chengutia in the Jessore district.

A PBCP cadre is killed during an encounter at Akandbaria in the Chuadanga district.

May 20

PCJSS cadres abduct seven cadres of the Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP), an anti-peace grouping backed by the UPDF, from Riveng Club near Dighinala sub-district in Khagrachhari district.

May 22

PCJSS cadres abduct 14 UPDF activists ahead of the rally organised by the latter in Khagrachhari on June 7 against the peace accord.

May 23

Fifteen UPDF cadres are arrested from Khagrachhari town in Rangmati for suspected involvement in an attack on a PCP cadre on May 22.

May 26

Foroj Ali, a PBCP regional leader, is killed during an encounter with the police at Sailgari village in the Chuadanga district.

May 27

Six Indian insurgents are reportedly killed during a gunfight with a joint raiding party of the Bangladesh Rifles and Rapid Action Battalion at Kamalganj in the northeastern district of Moulvibazaar.

Ahle Hadith Andolan Bangladesh blames the JeI for the arrest of its chief Asadullah Galib. A statement by the outfit says that the arrest was made to cover up JeI’s links with militant outfits.

May 31

Three BNP activists and a journalist are wounded in a bomb attack suspected to be detonated by Communist War, a new faction of the PBCP, at Alamdanga in the Kushtia district.

June 3

The Border Security Force Inspector-General of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland region, S C Srivastava, says at a news conference in Shillong that leaders of the ULFA are running seven hotels in different locations in Bangladesh.

June 8

Police recover dead bodies of two cadres of Janajuddha faction of the PBCP, identified as Tarikul Islam Shiplu and Zakir Hossain, from the Khanjahan Ali and Mujgunni areas in Khulna city.

PBCP Janajuddha faction threatens five journalists with death in Satkhira. A letter sent to the Satkhira Reporters Club says, "Some journalists in Satkhira have stood in our way despite repeated warnings. The party has decided to eliminate them as they are hatching a conspiracy against us."

June 10

In an interview with the BBC, Bangladesh State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar denies allegations that Indian insurgents have camps in the country.

June 11

PBCP cadre Mizanur Rahman Mizan is killed in a 'crossfire' with police personnel at Belgachhi Rothtola village in the Chuadanga district.

In another incident of 'crossfire', a NBCP cadre Abdul Latif is killed at Hizlabot village in the Kushtia district.

June 12

Security forces arrest four cadres of the Myanmarese outfit, the National United Party of Arakan, including its ‘president’ Tai Jo Khoy at Naikkhongchhari in the Bandarban district.

June 13

Mazzal Hossain, a former JMJB cadre, is killed by the outfit at Bagmara in the Rajshahi district.

June 15

A cadre of the Janajuddha faction of the PBCP, identified as Younus, is killed during an encounter with the police at Harinakundu sub-district in the Jhenidah district.

June 17

Nine militants belonging to the Manipur-based outfit, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), are arrested during a raid at Kalaghata in the Bandarban district.

Fazlur Rahman, a PBCP regional leader, is killed during an encounter with the police near Dhopaghata Bridge in Pabna district.

June 19

The ML-Lal Pataka faction of the PBCP in a leaflet circulated in the Rajshahi district identifies 18 people as ‘class enemies’ and threatens to kill them. The list includes ministers and members of parliament from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Awami League and the Jamaat-e-Islami.

June 20

Jamal Uddin alias Jamal Dakat, a GMF cadre, is killed during an encounter with the police in the Ijangram canal area of Kushtia district.

Babul Karim Chandu, ‘regional commander’ of an unspecified left-wing extremist outfit in Pabna, is killed during an encounter in the Ramrama area of Rajshahi district.

June 22

PBCP cadres of the Marxist-Leninist faction kill a cadre of their own outfit alleging him to be a police informer in the Meherpur district.

June 28

JMJB attacks Shafiqul Islam, correspondent of the Bengali daily Janakantha, at Bhaniganj in the Bagmara area of Rajshahi district.

June 29

GMF cadre Sahinur Rahman alias Sahin is killed during an encounter with the police in Kushtia district.

July 2

Abdul Matin alias Matin Bangal, an alleged left-wing extremist, is killed in 'crossfire' with the RAB personnel at Hariandaha in the Motihar area of Rajshahi city.

July 3

A PBCP cadre, identified as Azizur Rahman alias Sagor, is found slaughtered at Natkundu village in the Jhenidah district.

July 4

Two JMJB cadres are arrested on charges of extortion in the Nilphamari district.

July 5

A PBCP cadre, identified as Ekramul Haque Helal, is killed during an encounter with the police at Kamta village in the Fakirhat sub-district of Bagerhat district.

July 9

Golam Mortuza Chand, a PBCP cadre, is killed during an encounter at the Belgachhi area in Bagmara district.

A PBCP-Janajuddha cadre is killed in an encounter with the police at Batpukuria in Jhenidah district.

A visiting Indian parliamentary delegation led by the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Defence, B. K. Handique, says in Dhaka that Bangladesh does not harbour any Indian insurgents, but they might be seeking shelter in Bangladesh and some other countries.

July 11

Three GMF cadres are killed in an encounter between police and the outfit’s cadres in the Kumarkhali sub-district of Kushtia district.

July 12

A cadre of the Kamrul faction of the left-wing extremist Sarbahara Party is killed in an encounter between the Rapid Action Battalion personnel and his accomplices at Brahmmandia village in Barisal district.

July 13

A BCP cadre, identified as Kala Amjad, is killed by unidentified assailants in the Arongghata area under Daulatpur police station in Khulna district.

July 15

BDR personnel arrest four Indian militants, suspected to be of Khasi origin, along with some arms and ammunition when they intrude into Bangladesh territory through the Atgram border in Jakiganj on the Sylhet border.

July 17

Five JMJB cadres are arrested on charges of extortion from the Dar Kharbona area in Rajshahi city.

July 18

Unidentified persons vandalise an under-construction Ahmadiyya mosque at Dakshin Khan in the Uttara locality of capital Dhaka

July 19

Police arrests 11 suspected Islamist terrorists, including two cadres of the JMJB and two Rajshahi University students, from a training camp in the Paba sub-district of Rajshahi district.

July 21

An army squad recovers one locally-manufactured gun, six magazines of various firearms, one magazine of AK-47 rifle, three pistol covers, one long antenna, four pairs of uniforms and one briefcase full of documents written in Marma language from a tribal Jhum house at Chakmapara under Ruma sub-district of Bandarban district.

July 23

BDR personnel in two separate operations in Naikkhangchhari and Thanchi subdistricts of Bandarban district recover firearms and ammunition, including four anti-personnel mines, rocket shells and SBBL guns.

Three tribal arms smugglers are arrested by the army from Parjatan Motel at Meghla in the Bandarban district.

A JMJB cadre, Shahidul Islam, who worked as a driver to the outfit's leader Bangla Bhai, is arrested along with two of his accomplices from Kaliganj Bazaar in the Rajshahi district.

BDR personnel destroy a camp of the Myanmarese rebels at a forest near Naikkhangchhari leading to the arrest of a rebel and the recovery of four anti-personnel mines and 16,000 rounds of ammunition.

July 24

A statement by BDR claims that 26 fugitive rebels from Myanmar were arrested along with weapons and ammunition including 31 AK-47 rifles from Bandarban district during the month of July.

July 25-26

Army personnel arrest seven Chakma tribals and recover 17 firearms and a large number of bullets from the Sinduchhari area of Mahalchhari sub-district in Khagrachhari district.

July 27

BDR personnel arrest two Myanmar citizens subsequent to a gunfight at Alekhang in the Bandarban district and recover an American-made M-16 rifle, a European-made G-3 rifle, 51 round bullets of M-16 and G-3 rifles, a mobile phone set, different military equipment and dresses from their possession.

July 31

Three PCJSS activists are shot dead by the UPDF in the Logang Amtali area of Khagrachhari district.

August 3

A court in Natore acquits 12 cadres of the Islamist group Jama'atul Mujahidin Bangladesh, who were arrested on February 1 in connection with a bomb attack on local theatre show in the Boraigram sub-district.

August 5

One person is killed and an unspecified number of them sustained injuries during a gunfight between activists of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity and United People's Democratic Front at Kalapahar village in the Mahalchhari sub-district of Chittagong district.

August 9

Three suspected Myanmar nationals are arrested subsequent to a four-hour gunfight with the Bangladesh Rifles personnel from Alekkhong in the Naikkhangchhari sub-district of Bandarban district. One M-16 rifle, one light machinegun, 400 bullets, few combat uniforms and documents were recovered from the arrested persons, identified as Aung Thui Ching, Kew Ching and Aung Zhai.

August 11

According to Daily Star, Maoists have organised a three-day meeting in an unknown part of Rajshahi division to plan for the 2005 annual conference of the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations in South Asia (CCOMPOSA) to be held in Bangladesh. The report quoted an advisory level leader of the Purba Banglar Communist Party's (PBCP) Marxist-Leninist Red Flag faction as saying, "we are sitting today somewhere along the Bangladeshi frontier with India in Rajshahi division to hold the CCOMPOSA meeting successfully."

August 12

One person is killed and 50 others sustain injuries after several bombs were thrown at the Hazrat Shah Syed Ahammed shrine at Akhaura in the Brahmmanbaria district. Police said the home-made bombs were thrown during a religious festival where thousands of worshippers gather each year at the shrine.

August 13

Three cadres of the Biplobi Communist Party, Raju alias Killer Raju, Abu Bakkar alias Mujibar and Alamgir alias Killer Alamgir, are killed in separate encounters with the Rapid Action Battalion personnel at Landari in the Khulna district and Shankarpasha in the Jessore district.

August 14

Two PBCP cadres, Feroz Mollik and Bablu Khan, are killed in an encounter with the police at Mohonpur in the Rajshahi district.

August 16

Two cadres of the Lal Pataka faction of PBCP, identified as Mujibur Rahman and Panu Mia, are killed at Daripara in the Pabna District.

August 17

Two persons are killed and an estimated 100 persons sustain injuries in approximately 459 bomb explosions spread over 63 of Bangladesh's 64 districts. The proscribed Islamist militant outfit, Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, claimed responsibility for the blasts through leaflets left at the site of the explosions.

August 18

At least 100 crude bombs were recovered from a house at Baligaon in the Tongibari area of Munshiganj district, the only district in the country that did not witness any explosions a day earlier.

August 19

Twenty-five persons, including three Imams (priests), are arrested from the Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Dinajpur, Barisal and Nilphamari districts in connection with the serial bombings.

August 20

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief and Industries Minister, Matiur Rahman Nizami, blames Indian and Israeli intelligence agencies for the countrywide serial bomb attacks on August 17.

August 21

Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan says that it is too early to speculate whether Islamist terrorists are present in the country or not, as the investigation is still going on. He says, "Let the investigation complete. We all must wait and see who are responsible for it."

August 22

The Government orders the arrest of JMB leader Abdur Rahman "at any cost."

A former Director of the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, Maulana Fariduddin Masud, is arrested at the Zia International Airport in Dhaka for suspected involvement in the August 17 serial bombings.

August 23

Azad Joardar alias Azi, second-in-command of the proscribed Gono Bahini, is killed in an encounter with the police in the Jhenidah district.

Abid Hasan Milon alias Akash, a regional PBCP leader of the Janajuddho faction is killed in an encounter with the police near Alaipur bridge under Rupsha sub-district in the Khulna district.

August 24

Abdur Rashid alias Sagar, second-in-command of the PBCP's Nuruzzaman alias Laltu group of the Janajuddha faction is killed in a shootout between the police and PBCP cadres at Mirpur sub-district in Kushtia district.

Police arrests four JMB cadres at the Zia International Airport in Dhaka.

August 26

The Government officially discloses that the JMB was responsible for the August 17 serial bomb blasts across the country.

11 Sarbahara Party cadres are arrested along with firearms from the Doulatdia KKS School premises of Goalundo area in Rajbari district.

August 27

Seven JMB terrorists are arrested from the Barpakhia Kwami Madrassa at Delduar and adjoining areas in the Tangail district.

August 28

Khagrachhari police arrests four suspected JMB leaders and activists and recover bomb-making material, remote control devices and JMB literature from their possession.

Security force personnel recover a huge amount of arms and ammunition from Lemuchhari in the Bandarban district. The cache includes thirty-two foreign-made pistols, 5,000 bullets and 64 empty magazines of pistols.

August 29

The 'Rajbari region Chief' of the left-wing Sarbahara Party, Lokman Hossain Lal alias Mithu, is killed and three police personnel are injured in an encounter between police and his accomplices in the Undharmanik area under Goalundo Police Station of Rajbari district.

August 30

A BCP regional leader, identified as Takbir alias Lata, is killed in a shoot out between his accomplices and the police at Kotchandpur sub-district in the Jhenidah district.

Police arrest the President of AHAB-Chittagong unit, Sadrul Alam, who is a nephew of the outfit's chief, Asadullah Al Ghalib, in connection with the August 17 serial bombings from Chittagong.

September 1

Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Rifles personnel, in a joint operation, recover 20 AK-47 rifles and 7,716 bullets from a forest in the Bandarban district.

September 3

Amirul Islam alias Sutki Amir, a 'regional leader' of the Janajuddha faction of the PBCP, is killed in crossfire between the outfit's cadres and police in the Chuadanga district.

September 4

State Minister for Home Affairs, Lutfozzaman Babar, says that the JMB and Janajuddha faction of the PBCP are primarily responsible for the August 17 serial bombings. Saifuzzaman alias Shoaib alias Ripon, second-in-command of PBCP's Janajuddha faction, is killed in a shootout with the Rapid Action Battalion personnel at Katakhali crossing in the Rupsha sub-district of Khulna district.

September 5

A local-level leader of the PBCP's Lal Pataka faction, identified as Zia, is killed in a shootout between the police and PBCP cadres at Ramchandrapur in the Santhia sub-district of Pabna district.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party Joint Secretary-General, Tarique Rahman, refutes the comments he had made on the involvement of Al Qaeda in the August 17 country-wide bombings during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation's Bangla service on September 4.

September 6

A JMJB cadre, Abdul Jalil of Naogaon district, is shot dead by suspected PBCP-Red Flag faction cadres at Tilakpur in the Joypurhat district. Two of the PBCP cadres involved in the killing were subsequently arrested.

September 7

Two PBCP cadres, Ruhul Kuddus alias Chhoto Bhai and Sajal Sazzad, arrested in connection with the JMJB cadre's killing in Joypurhat district on September 6, are killed in a shootout at Keshail in the Naogaon district.

September 8

Bangladesh Rifles personnel recover a large cache of arms and ammunition, including eight AK47 assault rifles, four light machine guns and 3,559 bullets, during a raid in the Murangtila area of Naikkhangchhari sub-district of Bandarban district.

September 10

Government announces reward for information leading to the arrest of JMB leader, Abdur Rahman, and JMJB leader, Bangla Bhai, both accused of masterminding the August 17 countrywide blasts.

PBCP-Janajuddha, in a leaflet titled, "The 17th August bomb attacks and our political stands", denies its role in the blasts. The leaflet, circulated in Jessore district reportedly said: "We are astonished by the countrywide bomb attacks on August 17… The alliance government led by Khaleda-Nizami is patronising communal militants and repressing the rebel progressive people."

September 11

Two explosive manufacturing units are neutralised in the national capital Dhaka's Nawabpur and Jagannath Shaha Road locality and raw materials and tools for making explosives recovered.

Police arrests Moulana Obaidur Rahman Ibne Fazle, younger brother of the JMB chief Abdur Rahman, at Madarganj sub-district in the Jamalpur district.

September 13

Three Sarbahara Party cadres, Golam Dastagir Farid, Abdullah Al-Mamun and Ruhul Amin, are killed in separate shootouts between Rapid Action Battalion personnel and Sarbahara cadres in the Barisal and Narayanganj districts.

September 15

Police arrests two top JMB cadres, identified as Maolana Shahidullah Faruk, 'section commander' in Chapainawabganj, and Mohammed Tufan, an explosives expert in Chapainawabganj, from Rajshahi district.

Two unidentified cadres of the left-wing extremist Sarbahara Party are lynched by a mob at Aag Jaintapur village in Faridpur sub-district of Pabna district.

A JMB hideout, used to manufacture at least 60 bombs used in the August 17 bombings, is neutralised at Batiaghata in the Khulna district.

Bangladesh Rifles Director General, Maj. Gen. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi claims that some "criminal elements in India" had colluded with similar groups in Bangladesh to stage the August 17 countrywide blasts.

Anisur Rahman, a regional leader of the Jasad Gono Bahini, is killed in crossfire between police and the outfit's cadres at Katdah village in the Kushtia district.

RAB officials arrest the 'operation commander' of the Bangladesh chapter of the Harkatul Jihad, Mufti Abdul Hannan, from Madhya Badda in Dhaka city.

Two persons are killed and three others sustain injuries as unidentified persons lob explosives on a fish depot at Daliya market in Tala sub-district of Satkhira district.

A regional leader of the Biplobi Communist Party, Nurul Islam, is killed during an encounter with the police in the Mongla port area of Khulna district.

A cadre of the Janajuddha faction of the PBCP, Mizanur Rahman Mizan, is lynched at Kalpataru Market in Daulatpur.

October 9

The HuJI threatens to blow up key installations in the Khulna city if its leader Mufti Abdul Hannan is not released unconditionally. A caller identifying himself as a HuJI regional leader warns that the attacks will be more devastating than the August 17 bombings.

October 12

The dead body of a PBCP cadre, identified as Tutul, is recovered from a field at Debottarpara village in the Ataikula sub-district of Pabna district.

October 14

A PBCP 'regional leader', Abdul Halim, is killed in crossfire with the police at Poylarchar in the Chowhali area of Sirajganj district.

October 17

Government proscribes the HuJI, branding it a ‘self-confessed terrorist outfit’. A Home Ministry statement to this effect said: "Based on the existing information, the Bangladesh government has banned Harkatul Jihad Al Islami."

The JMB threatens to blow up 17 offices and important establishments in the Kushtia district if police continued to arrest and harass its activists and their activities are obstructed.

October 18

The Sylhet Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge, Biplob Goswami, is injured in a bomb attack carried out by a JMB cadre in front of the judge's residence in Sylhet city.

October 19

Police recover bomb-making materials from the rest house of a mosque (Bhangatikor Haji Buru Mia Jame Masjid) in Sylhet town’s Sheikhghat area and subsequently arrest the Imam (chief priest), Moulana Saifuddin, and a former student of the Shahjalal Dargah Madrassa.

October 20

A ‘regional commander’ of the Red flag faction of the PBCP, Abdus Sattar alias Killer Sattar, is killed in an encounter with the police at Dakkhin Kuchiamora village in the Pabna district.

JMB threatens to bomb the office of the Tangail district jailor and the hospital within a week. The local administration declares a ‘red alert’ in the district court and jail areas following the delivery of a letter to this effect from the outfit.

October 21

A Bangladesh Rifles team recovers two .303 rifles, 2500 bullets including 230 fresh ones, 40 magazines of AK47 with 200 bullets, four broken LMGs and some firearms making materials after excavating a place in the remote hilly area of Naikkhangchhari in the Bandarban district.

October 22

A regional PBCP leader, identified as Hossain Ali, is killed in an encounter with the police at Sirajganj.

October 23

The Bangladesh home ministry issues an order to prepare a list of Rohingyas illegally living in the inaccessible hilly areas of Bandarban district and to arrest those involved in criminal activities.

The JMB, in a letter sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet, threatens to blow up two police stations in the Khulna district, Kanai Ghat and Zakiganj, within the next 15 days.

October 24

A suspected PBCP cadre, Hasanuzzaman Milon Biswas, is killed in an encounter with the police in Khulna city.

October 25

The JMB threatens to blow up all police stations in Bangladesh unless Islamic law and Islamic constitution are implemented. A JMB leader, Maulana Hafizur Rahman, sends a letter to this effect from Chapainawabganj district to the police commissioner in Rajshahi.

October 26

A senior PBCP- Janajuddha leader is killed by cadres of the same outfit at Koatchandpur sub-district in the Jhenidah district.

Afaz Uddin, a farmer of Adabaria village in the Kushtia district, is killed at his house by the PBCP- Janajuddha cadres.

Police arrest 14 persons, hailing from Myanmar, from two hotels in Chittagong city’s Kotwali area for illegal entry into Bangladesh.

October 26-27

Cadres of the PBCP-Janajuddha kill five workers of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the Kushtia, Chuadanga, Jhenidah and Narail districts in a span of eight hours.

October 28

International Khatme Nabuwat Movement Bangladesh threatens to oust the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition Government if it fails to pass a bill in the Parliament declaring the Ahmadiyyas as non-Muslims by December 23.

The Government is reported to have announced a reward of $152,000 for information leading to the arrest of JMB chief Abdur Rahman and JMJB leader Bangla Bhai.

October 31

An activist of the PBCP-Janajuddha faction, Abdul Mazed, is reported to have died during an encounter with the police at Katchubaria village in the Mirpur area of Kushtia district.

November 1

Police, in two separate raids, seize a light gun, eight kilograms of explosives and arrested four persons in this connection in the port city of Chittagong.

November 2

Police seizes one kilogram of RDX, 500 grams of ammonia and 500 grams of sulphur from a private courier consignment belonging to the JMB in Rajshahi district.

November 3

Security forces seize explosives weighing nearly eight kilograms from a truck carrying wheat in the northwestern district of Chapainawabganj. The truck, heading for Bogra town from Sonaimuri on the India-Bangladesh border was intercepted at a checkpoint and four people including the driver detained.

Pradeep Kumar Biswas alias Prajapati Biswas, second in command of the NBCP, is killed in an encounter with Batiaghata police of Khulna district.

November 6

JMB threatens to blow up the Dumuria Police Station, Upazila Nirbahi Office and the Rangpur Union Police Camp in the Khulna district before November 25. A hand-written letter to this effect is received by the Dumuria sub-district Nirbahi Officer and the officer-in-charge of Dumuria Police Station.

November 7

The Bangladesh Home Ministry orders security agencies to arrest JMB leaders Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Siddiqur Rahman alias ‘Bangla Bhai’ as well as other absconding members of the outfit by November 10.

Six suspected JMB cadres are arrested from the Bogra and Chapainawabganj districts.

November 12

PBCP cadres open fire and kill a villager, identified as Fazlul Haque Sharif, at Hasnakandi under Rajoir sub-district in the Madaripur district.

November 13

A hitherto unknown Isamist outfit, Islami Ranojoddha, threatens to kill all the judges and Deputy Commissioner in Noakhali district.

November 14

A JMB cadre belonging to the suicide squad of the outfit explodes a bomb killing two senior assistant judges and wounding three people in the district headquarter of Jhalakathi.

November 15

Police recover bomb-making materials, books and leaflets of the JMB from the house of Iftekhar Al Hassan Mamun, involved in the November 14 suicide bomb attack that killed two judges in Jhalakathi.

JMB, in a letter sent to the district and sessions judge of Patuakhali, threatens to blow up the Patuakhali district Judge Court.

November 16

JMB sends letters to four judges in the Pabna, Khulna and Rajshahi districts asking them implement Islamic laws. The outfit’s cadres also make phone calls to a sub-district administrative officer and an assistant commissioner in the Bhola district threatening to kill them.

Reuters reports that Police in Bangl