IRA in the making: Ghazwa-e-Hind rhetoric, 8,850 trainees at seven camps in Bangladesh

A senior Bangladeshi adviser disclosed recruitment and training of 8,850 recruits for an alleged "Islamic Revolutionary Army" across multiple centres, prompting Indian alarms that the Yunus government, Jamaat and Pakistan’s ISI aim to radicalise forces and heighten tensions with India

New Delhi: The disclosure by a senior adviser to the Muhammad Yunus government in Bangladesh clearly suggests that the first phase to set up the Islamic Revolutionary Army (IRA) is underway.

On October 20, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, an adviser to the interim government, said on social media that recruitment and training were being imparted to 8,850 individuals across several centres. He said that these individuals would undergo training in martial arts, firearms instruction, taekwondo and judo.

---

This revelation confirms what the Indian agencies have been saying for a couple of months. The Yunus government, labelled as a puppet of the Jamaat-e-Islami and ISI, has been planning the IRA for several months now. The idea is to replace the existing army with the IRA.

The IRA, according to Indian officials, would be on the lines with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRA would be a highly radicalised institution, which would help the establishment convert Bangladesh into an Islamic state. It would be used for moral policing, like one gets to see in Iran, officials add.

However, the bigger target would be India, and this would mean that once the IRA is set up, the tensions along the border would be very high.

Recently, Dr Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, a Jamaat leader, said in New York that five million Jamaat youth were ready to fight against India. He said that if India enters Bangladesh, the bad name that was given in 1971 will be wiped out. We will prove ourselves as true freedom fighters, and one part of the Jamaat’s five million people will engage in guerrilla warfare, while the rest will spread inside India to implement Ghazwa-e-Hind.

Analysts say that the developments and statements clearly indicate that the ISI has taken over Bangladesh. It has been the wish of Pakistan to get Bangladesh back to the pre-1971 situation, and since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, it has been working relentlessly on this plan.

Currently, seven training camps cater to 8,850 individuals. All these people are being trained by retired Bangladesh Army officials who are pro-Pakistan.

Plans are afoot to set up more such camps in the future. The plan would be to train over 160,000 individuals, which is the current strength of the Bangladesh Army. Further, these camps are frequented by both the Pakistan army and ISI officials. They are the ones who are providing the funds and equipment.

Since the sea route was opened up to Pakistan by Muhammad Yunus, arms and ammunition have come to Bangladesh in large numbers. All these are currently being stored in the universities, which are largely controlled by the Jamaat.

As per the requirement, these arms and ammunition are being transported openly to these training camps. The Jamaat-backed institutions are also open about their intentions where the IRA is concerned.

In December 2024 itself, a group called the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, which comprises students close to Yunus, had announced the launch of a militia called the IRA. In a Facebook post, the organisation had called upon the youth to gather at the Dhaka University for enrolment.

The plan was to set up training camps, and during the initial phase, there would be a martial arts session followed by a month-long military style training. They said that this would be conducted by the army and paramilitary forces.

These developments clearly indicate that the Yunus administration, at the behest of the Jamaat and ISI, is looking to shut down both the army and DGFI in Bangladesh. There have been rumours of a rift between the army top brass and the ruling dispensation.

Courts have been passing orders to arrest many army and DGFI personnel. While the courts have said that these persons have indulged in atrocities, in reality, all these persons who have been targeted are perceived to be close to Sheikh Hasina.

These developments have caused a deep rift within the Bangladesh Army, officials say, while adding that many are in favour of the IRA being set up.