The Bangladesh Ansar is a disciplined force for the preservation of internal security

Internal security

Internal security, or IS, is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other self-governing territories. generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats...

 and law enforcement in Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

. It is administered by the Home Ministry of the Government of Bangladesh. The name originates from the Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 word of "Ansar", which denotes a "person who helps" and specifically refers to the companions of Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

, the prophet-founder of Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, during his exile from Mecca

Mecca

Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...

.

History

The Ansar were formed out of the remnants of the Indian Home Guard

Indian Home Guard

The Indian Home Guard is an Indian paramilitary force which is tasked as an auxiliary to the Indian Police.The Home Guards Organization was reorganised in India in 1962 after the Sino-Indian War with the People's Republic of China, though it existed in smaller units individually in some...

 who were from East Bengal

East Bengal

East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....

, which had become a part of Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 after the partition of India

Partition of India

The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...

 in 1947. The force was formed as the "East Pakistan Ansars" by the East Pakistan Ansars Act of 1948, and officially launched on February 12, 1948. The first director of the Ansar was James Buchanan

James Buchanan (disambiguation)

James Buchanan was the 15th President of the United States.James Buchanan is also the name of:*James Buchanan , Church of Scotland minister and theologian*James Buchanan , U.S...

, a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 official appointed by the government of then-Chief Minister of East Bengal Khawaja Nazimuddin

Khawaja Nazimuddin

Hajji Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin, KCIE , was the second Governor-General of Pakistan, and later the second Prime Minister of Pakistan as well.-Early life:...

. The force was placed under the administration of the home ministry of the province of East Bengal (later known as East Pakistan

East Pakistan

East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...

). During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...

, the Ansar were deployed to the border areas along with the East Pakistan Rifles to support the Pakistani army.

Post-independence

During the Bangladesh Liberation War

Bangladesh Liberation War

The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....

 of 1971, most of the Ansar joined the Awami League-led Mukti Bahini

Mukti Bahini

Mukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs, collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on...

 guerrillas to fight against the Pakistani army. 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

Ziaur Rahman

President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi politician and general, who read the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981...

, which designated the Ansar as the "people's defence force" and formed Ansar battalions.

Raising of Ansar Battalions

In 1976, 20 Battalions of Ansar were raised in line with the Armed Police Battalions to augment the strength of the security forces. At present, there are 36 Male and two 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. In the regular process of evolution, members of Ansar Battalions are gradually being upgraded to the regular force of this organization. Their service is brought under Nation Pay Scale, they are getting family ration and they have got combat uniform since October 15, 2008.

Mission and organisation

While mainly charged with maintaining law and order, the Ansar are also assigned to help in schemes promoting local development. The Ansar are headed by a director-general, a post currently held by Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 Md Zahidur Rahman, . The director-general also heads the Village Defence Party

Village Defence Party

The Village Defence Party is a law enforcement force in Bangladesh, organised in distinct units at the level of individual villages and urban towns. It is administered by the Home Ministry of the central Government of Bangladesh...

 (VDPs). The headquarters of the Ansar is located in Dhaka and the national training centre is located in Gazipur

Gazipur, Dhaka Division

Gazipur is a town located within the Gazipur Sadar sub-district of Gazipur District in the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.Gazipur consists of 9 wards and 31 mahallas with an area of 49.32 km²...

, north of the national capital, Dhaka

Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

. The Ansar often operate alongside the Bangladeshi Army and the Bangladesh Police

Bangladesh Police

The Bangladesh Police is the main law enforcement agency of Bangladesh. It is administered under the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace and enforcement of law and order within the whole of Bangladesh...

. The total strength of the Ansar is 20,000.