State Minister of Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar disclosed the casualty figure in his written reply to Miah Golam Parwar (Jamaat) elected from Khulna-5.

The maximum number of casualties was recorded from Khulna district where 15 policemen were either killed or injured. Khulna was followed by Jhenidah, Satkhira, Kushtia, Bagerhat and other districts.

In reply to Ruhul Kuddus (Jamaat), Babar said the government procured vehicles worth Tk 219, 153423 and modern arms worth Tk 120,7176752 for law enforcers, including Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).

Of the purchased arms, the number of various types of weapon is 1,04,363, different kinds of bullet 6688600, teargas shells 67000 and gas grenade 2000.

The vehicles include 474 jeeps, 243 pickups, 94 cars, 59 highway patrol cars, 153 microbuses, 1807 motorcycles, 45 trucks, 12 armoured vehicles, 10 ambulances and 20 yellow taxicabs.

Meanwhile, Babar yesterday told the Parliament that the coalition government issued licenses for 1,274 firearms so far.

The government has also kept all frontier districts, air, sea and land ports and BDR on the alert to stop smuggling of illegal weapons and ammunition into Bangladesh, he added.

Babar was replying to questions from Hafijuddin Ahmed (JP) and Shaheed Uddin Chowdhury Anee (BNP).

In response to Hafijuddin, Babar presented a yearly breakup of firearms licenses that showed that the highest number of 524 licenses were issued in 2004 while 329 in 2005.

The type of firearms and the names of recipients of licenses were not, however, mentioned.

On the fight against Islamist militancy, he told the lawmakers that most of the members of the four banned militant outfits were arrested and efforts continued to nab the runaways.

"A core committee was set up at the Home Ministry to combat the militant activities and improve the law-and-order situation," he said.

Besides, temporary check-posts have been set up at important points to identify the militants and stop-and-search operation against the suspects continued across the country.

Babar informed the House that a committee at the Home Ministry has been formed to monitor the cases and trial process against the militants involved in the serial bombings and suicide bomb attacks, which shook the country recently.