This is an unofficial translation of the Bengali conversation.

Taposh: (Phone ringing) Do what I told you to do.

Hasina: (Phone ringing) Hello?

Taposh: Yes, Assalamu Alaikum.

Hasina: Yes, Wa Alaikum Assalam.

Taposh: Yes.

Hasina: Yes, son (Baba)…

Hasina: Call me on the normal phone (line) — the internet’s not working well.

Taposh: On a normal phone, on a normal phone.

Hasina: Okay — go on, son….

Taposh: Yes, the ‘shontrashis’ (armed political operatives) are moving around different areas at different times – who knows where or what kind of attack they might launch next.

Hasina: No, they are; we’re, I am taking care of them again. Also have they set fire to the Abahani Club?

Taposh: I think they’re attacking the Secretariat — and Abahani Club too.

Hasina: Where?

Taposh: They’ve attacked the Secretariat too — don’t you know?

Hasina: No.

Taposh: Yes — the home minister is there. They’ve attacked the Secretariat several times, and if at night they start attacking various sensitive residences, then that’ll be…

Hasina: At night all the vigilances will be on, and so far—okay, fine. I’m taking measures now. Bit by bit, gatherings are being cleared in many places.

Taposh: Doesn’t it look like they will do, it seems they have a lot more plans for the night. The Home Minister told me the same, he hinted at it — and I think he may have asked you as well whether you might take the extreme step, will you do the thing?

Hasina: What are you asking?

Taposh: I mean deploy the military?

Hasina: Son, (Baba), think before speaking please

Taposh: Of course!

Hasina: That’s exactly what they want.

Taposh: I understand that’s what it is technically, but they are probably trying to push things that way.

Hasina: No need for that, no need. I’ve spoken with the army chief — they’ll be on alert, alright. Now we’re taking other steps: we’re taking aerial photos with drones and using helicopters for the thing, over a few locations.

Taposh: Can’t we use those images and make arrests overnight?

Hasina: I’ve given the order to arrest the whole lot of them.

Taposh: Yes — if they’re arrested…

Hasina: No, that has already been communicated. Regarding that, RAB, DGFI, and NA (sic) — everyone has been told “capture (detain) as many as you can from wherever you can.”

Taposh: Yes.

Hasina: That’s already been communicated. And wherever they see gatherings, from now on, I’m having them do the thing from above — it has started already in a few places.

Taposh: Yes

Hasina: — It’s done.

Taposh: Yes, yes — it seems they’re moving toward the Mohammadpur police station area. The Home Minister told me.

Hasina: Toward Mohammadpur police station

Taposh: Yes.

Hasina: Then [the home minister should] send the RAB there.

Taposh: Yes — need your authorization; he hasn’t yet, I mean…

Hasina: I’ve already given the instruction. This is an open directive now. They’re to use lethal weapons. Wherever they’re found, shoot on sight.

Taposh: Yes—yes.

Hasina: The order is there; I had been for all these days. You know, those students — thinking of their safety — and then…

Taposh: No — at night it’s not the students, at night it’s shontrashis (armed political operatives).

Hasina: No — what happened was,  there was this one boy from the Residential Model School; his teacher called him and brought him, the teacher was supposedly a Shibir member [in student life] — they didn’t know. Then that boy was killed. He had just one bullet shot in his chest, but the police didn’t use any revolver.

Taposh: Hmm…yes

Hasina: They staged [and] incident like this.

Taposh: Yes — you should employ maximum security

Hasina: Fires everywhere… BRTC and BTRC have been shut and set on fire; they’ve even set the BTV on fire, and now the internet is down — they’ve burned everything. How anything can work now

Taposh: Yes, that’s good, yes.

Hasina: No — they’ve burned it down. All the machinery and documents have been destroyed. What I asked to burn down…he burned down the Shetu Bhaban (headquarters of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority)

Taposh: Yes — it looks like they’ll mount even larger attacks at night.

Hasina: Yes, the Disaster Management office has been torched.

Taposh: Yes — because when I was returning I saw them out in the streets, doing the thing in different places

Hasina: Which places?

Taposh: Banani, and you don’t see this usually in Banani or Gulshan, but now they’re moving into those areas too — there’s movement everywhere, they could strike in places.

Hasina: Alright, I’m taking care of that.

Taposh: Of course

Hasina: You all be careful

Taposh: Yes, I’m being careful.

Hasina: Alright.

Taposh: We have to make arrests — round them all up during the night.

Hasina: Of course — that’s already been ordered. It will start once it’s later at night.

Taposh: Yes, yes

Hasina: We’re taking other measures.

Taposh: Yes — yes.

Hasina: Yes, okay.

Taposh: Assalamu Alaikum.