Online Desk: The Bangladesh Police headquarters have asked all of its units across the country to carry out special operations between December 1 and December 15 and raid hotels, dormitories, hostels, community centres and other institutions in search of terrorists, criminals, drug dealers, illegal arms holders, and suspects with the arrest warrant.

The police headquarters issued an order signed by additional deputy inspector general Md Hasanuzzaman on November 29 and asked all the units to report back to the headquarters from 10:00am on December 2.

The order from the police headquarters came ahead of a mass divisional rally announced by opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, scheduled to be held in Dhaka on December 10. This would be the 10th and the last divisional rally of the BNP, after holding nine mass rallies by the party's nine other organisational divisions.

The party wants to hold the rally in front of their central headquarters at Naya Paltan in the capital, while Dhaka Metropolitan Police insisted on holding it only for four and a half hours inside the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.

The November 29 instructions from the police headquarters, faxed to all units, insisted on raiding hotels, messes, hostels, community centres and other institutions to arrest 'terrorists', criminals, drug dealers, illegal arms holders, and suspects with arrest warrants.It also asked the police members to seize illegal firearms and drugs.

An official posted in a district near Dhaka said they were asked not to leave their station until further instruction.

In the November 29 instruction, the police headquarters explained the special operation would be launched for the "safe and smooth celebrations" of Victory Day on December 16, Christmas on December 25, and the 31st Night in the context of the snatching of two militants from the police custody at Dhaka court on November 20 last.