Pro-Government Militias
Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) (Bangladesh)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 181 |
| Country: | Bangladesh |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 2004 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | JMJB existed as a group since 1998. The first activity was reported on April 1, 2004. It is possible that there were operations since the political party BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) to which JMJB is connected was elected in 2001. |
| Date dissolved: | Feb. 23, 2005 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The government banned JMJB on 23 February 2005 who classified the group as terrorist organisation (Wikipedia) because of its excessive violence and attacks on NGOs. In the following years many members were arrested and some executed. Late 2005 the group killed two judges and by 2008 the group was actively threatening advisers of the caretaker government (South Asia Terrorism Portal). |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Bangladesh Nationalist Party |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | foreign support |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | religious |
| Primary Membership: | religious |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Northwest, border with India |
| Force Strength: | [10000, 300000] |
| Target(s): | criminals; unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; religious group |
| Purpose(s): | intimidation of ethnic/religious groups; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | Bengali Hindus (Bangladesh); Muslims (Bangladesh); Tribal-Buddhists (Bangladesh) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | given |
Other Information
| Other Information: | JMJB attacked communist insurgents with support of government actors (Wikipedia). JMJB seems to be an offspring from Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which is another Islamist militant organization that was banned by the government on the same day. There seems to be some personnel overlapping but it is unclear how close the two groups had been working together. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | JMJB seeks to neutralize left-wing guerilla groups (especially the PBCP), which seems to be the main reason government members aligned with the group (Wikipedia). Another purpose of the group was to intimidate ethnic or religious groups by committing harsh actions to enforce Islamic law, often in the frame of political violence. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | deniability of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | News sources report violent actions, including killing and disappearances, against religious minorities and moderate Muslims, with the government and police not intervening. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | yes |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Some members were villagers that had been forced to join (South Asia Terrorism Portal). Most members seem to be motivated for religious reasons. |
| PGM Members Killed? | rarely |
PGM Size
| Size: | The group had allegedly 10,000 full-time and 100,000 part-time activists. The leader of the group claimed that JMJB had 300,000 activists (South Asia Terrorism Portal). A news source of 2005 estimates the group to have 10,000 members. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | JMJB cadres used firearms, swords, other sharp weapons, hammers, hockey sticks and crude explosives (South Asia Terrorism Portal). |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The group had links to members of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and sections of the police (South Asia Terrorism Portal). A news source reports that police assured it can control the group because they had no independent role. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.