The name originates from the Arabic word of "Ansar" which denotes a "volunteer". The Ansar were the local inhabitants of Medina who, in Islamic tradition, took the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers (the Muhajirun) into their homes when they emigrated from Mecca during the hijra.[4][5]
The Ansar Force was formed as the "East Pakistan Ansars" by the East Pakistan Ansars Act of 1948, and officially launched on 12 February 1948.[5] The first director of the Ansar was James Buchanan, a British official appointed by the government of then-Chief Minister of East Bengal Khawaja Nazimuddin.[5] The force was placed under the administration of the home ministry of the province of East Bengal (later known as East Pakistan).
The emphasis was on recruiting in border areas, where Ansars were deployed to interdict smuggling and prevent emigrants from taking valuables out of the country illegally.[2] The force grew quickly. By early 1949, there were 118,000 Ansars. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the then East Pakistan Ansars were deployed to the border areas along with the East Pakistan Rifles to support the Pakistani Army.[5][2]
After the independence of Bangladesh, the force was reconstituted as the Bangladesh Ansar. The Ansar were given fresh importance by the government of President Ziaur Rahman, which designated the Ansar as the "people's defence force" and formed Ansar battalions.[14]
Raising of Ansar battalions
In 1976, 20 Ansar Battalions were raised in line with the Armed Police Battalions to augment the strength of the security forces.[2] At present, there are 38 male and 2 female Ansar battalions deployed all over the country. Battalion Ansars are mainly deployed in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) for Counter Insurgency Operations (CIO) and south-western region of the country for Counter Terrorism Operations.[3][10][2]
In 1994, a mutiny against low pay and unfair treatment was suppressed by the Bangladesh Rifles.[15][16] This prompted a series of reforms by successive governments including the Ansar Bahini Act (1995), Battalion Ansar Act (1995) and the Village Defence Party Act (1995).[2] Under these Acts, the Ansar Bahini and the Battalion Ansars were declared a "Disciplined Force" in accordance with article 152 of the Constitution.[2] The government also set up "Ansar VDP Unnayan Bank" where the members of Ansar-VDP members were entitled to loans and shares.[2][10]
In 1998, Bangladesh Ansar and VDP were awarded the National Standard, and in 2004 it was awarded the Independence Award.[10] The service of battalion Ansars was under National Pay Scale in October 2008, and they were entitled to family rations and combat uniform.[5] In 2006, the role of Ansar-VDP was expanded to fight rising militancy.[3] In 2016, the Ansar Striking Force, a 300 strong elite unit, was created to provide security to diplomats.[17]
Following the fall of Hasina government, a faction of Ansar members began protesting, demanding the nationalisation of their jobs and the abolition of the six-month "Rest System," among other benefits.[18] Their demonstrations caused severe traffic congestion across the capital, leading to significant public inconvenience.[19]
On 25th August, the Home Affairs Advisor, Retired Lt. Gen. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, met with the protesting Ansar members. He announced a preliminary decision to abolish the controversial six-month "Rest System" and assured that the demand for nationalisation would be reviewed based on an upcoming committee report.[20] Despite this, a big part of Ansar members who were recruited during the Awami League regime & had affiliation with Awami League & its other organizations such as the banned Chatroleague and Juboleague attempted to do a coup. [21]
Earlier that day, Hasnat Abdullah had accused the Ansar members of holding them captive and called for support on social media.[23] The situation worsened when Ansar members forced their way into the Secretariat, chanting slogans and demanding that their demands be met.[24]
Around 9 PM, a group of students marched from Dhaka University TSC to the Secretariat to rescue them but were met with a barrage of bricks and stones from the Ansar members, resulting in numerous injuries on both sides, including Hasnat Abdullah.[25][26]
Role
The stated missions of Ansar are:
To assist government or any authority under government in matters of public security ;[2][10][27]
To take part in any public welfare activities as per the government's instructions to improve socio-economic conditions of the country.
To assist law enforcement agencies in metropolitan and industrial security.
To provide security to national VIPs, CIPs and diplomats as per the government's instructions.
To take part in any disaster management activities as per the government's instructions.
The members of Ansar also participate in education expansion programs, tree plantation, population control, women's empowerment, and sanitation activities.[3][28]
Organization
At present there are three branches of Ansar Bahini; the General Ansar, the Battalion Ansar, and the Village Defence Party (VDP). Their combined draw is over 6 million, which is the largest force in the world as a paramilitary or single force.[29]
Director General of Bangladesh Ansar, also known as Ansar and VDP Chief, is the professional head of the Bangladesh Ansar. The current DG is Major GeneralAbdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud.[5]
The Director General functions from the Bangladesh Ansar Headquarters, which is located in the Khilgaon, Dhaka.[29]
Headquarters
The headquarters of the Ansar is located in Khilgaon, Dhaka and the training facilities are located at the Bangladesh Ansar & VDP Academy in Shafipur, Gazipur, north of the national capital, Dhaka.[3][14]
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