DHAKA, Dec 9, 2022 (BSS) - Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said BNP’s stubbornness to hold rally before its Naya Paltan headquarters keeping bombs inside the office proved that their target was to carry out terrorist acts, not holding a peaceful rally.
 
He said this while talking to journalists at his Minto Road official residence here.
 
Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary, said 15 bombs, 2 lakh bottles of water, 160 sacks of rice, cooked hodgepodge, cooking pots, containers and Taka two lakh cash were recovered from the BNP office following the clash between BNP leaders-workers and police on Wednesday.
 
It is the duty of the government to ensure the people’s safety and take measures to avert any chaotic situation, he said.
 
The minister said the government was compelled to take actions when police men came under attacks, rally was held illegally by blockading streets.  
 
“We told them throughout the last two weeks that the government will extend all-out cooperation to them in holding their rally. But they were adamant to hold rally at Naya Paltan to create disorders. It is completely illegal,” he said.
 
Noting that every party can hold peaceful rally in the country, he said if the government did not extend cooperation and ensure safety, it was not possible for BNP to hold large rallies in nine places of the country.
 
“They held rallies in all divisional cities and the government ensured security to them. There was no problem there. They locked into internal conflicts in some places,” he mentioned.
 
The AL joint general secretary said when BNP was in power, AL was not allowed to hold rallies. 
 
Gruesome grenade attacks were carried out on Awami League’s anti-terrorism rally on August 21 in 2004 with a target to assassinate the then Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina while 24 leaders and workers were killed and around 500 others received injuries in the attacks, he recalled.
 
Attacks were carried out on the public rally of Sheikh Helal, MP, leaving a dozen of people killed while Shah A M S Kibria and Ahsanullah Master were killed by launching attacks on their rallies, he said.
 
Hundreds of people including AL leaders and workers were wounded in different attacks on Awami League programmes during the BNP tenure while attack was also carried out on public rally of Suranjit Sengupta, said Hasan.
 
“We are in power for 14 years but they (BNP) are holding rallies smoothly,” he added.
 
About arrest of BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas, the minister said Fakhrul and Abbas are accused in different cases for giving orders over the killing 500 people and injuring 3000 others by carrying out arson attacks, torching 3500 vehicles and setting fire at launches and trains during the 2013-14-15 period.
 
They even didn’t show respect to the court as they didn’t appear in court, he mentioned.
 
Besides, Fakhrul and Abbas also gave commands in the incident of Naya Paltan on November 7, unleashing attacks on police men, keeping bombs at office, torching and vandalizing vehicles across the country including Chattogram and Dhaka.
 
Asked whether Tarique Rahman is instigating from London to create disorder in the country, Hasan said these terrorist acts were being carried out and BNP showed its stubbornness for holding rally at Naya Paltan at the directive of Tarique Rahman.
 
Many leaders of BNP agreed to hold rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan and even BNP gave proposal in the initial two meetings with the police to hold rally there but they changed their decision at Tarique’s directive, he said.
 
They denied four-five alternative proposals of places of holding rally at Pallabi in Mirpur, Kalshi ground, Ijtema ground and trade fair ground, he said.

Noting that Tarique Rahman is a convict in 10-truck arms haul case, accused in different cases of killings, money laundering and smuggling, Hasan said when a party is run by a convict, the party acts like terrorist, accused and wrongdoers and this thing is happening in BNP.
 
About call of the US Ambassador in Dhaka for conducting investigation into November 7 incident in Naya Paltan area, the minister said probe will definitely be carried out to unearth who kept bombs at office, who sponsored the money of making bombs and how police came under attack.
 
Keeping bombs at party office, hurling brickbats on police, launching attack and holding rally blockading streets are not evidences of holding peaceful programme, he said.
 
Referring to Capitol Hill Attack in the US, he said Donald Trump supporters stormed into Capitol Hill which was not a peaceful rally and actions were taken against those who were involved with the incident and cases are also going on and even process are underway to accuse Trump.
 
November 7 incident is comparable to Capitol Hill attack as the Wednesday’s incident is not a peaceful programme rather a terrorist one, he said.
 
About recent role of media, the information minister said it is the responsibility of media to portray social phenomenon.
 
Making one-sided reports is not the task of the media as it becomes bias in that case, he said.
 
Doing politics is not good thing for any media, he said, urging media to play a responsible role.
 
The government ensured freedom of press but it is not good to mislead the people by misusing the freedom, he added.