Arson attack patrons must be punished: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud has said the arson attacks can be resisted only by bringing the arsonists and their patrons to justice.

“BNP-Jamaat cannot hear the screams of the victims of arson attacks… they must be brought to book to stop the arson attacks,” he said while addressing a human-chain programme and discussion organized by ‘Agnisantraser Artonad’ in front of Central Shaheed Minar on Sunday.

Speakers of the programme demanded exemplary punishment of BNP-Jamaat miscreants who are carrying out arson attacks along with their patrons.

Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, Advocate Khodeza Nasrin Akther, MP, Dhaka University former vice-chancellor Dr Akhtaruzzaman, AL executive committee member Anowar  Hossain, Jatiya Press Club general secretary Shyamol Dutta, Runi Begum, mother of arson attack victim Nahid, and victim Salauddin Bhuiyan, among others, addressed the rally.

Dr Hasan said the BNP-Jamaat had carried out arson attacks in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The arson attacks would not have happened in 2023 if the trials of the previous attacks were held under a speedy trial tribunal, he said.

“At that time the arson attacks were carried out at the directives of Begum Khaleda Zia, and now, the attacks are being carried out as instructed by Tarique Rahman,” the minister said.

Terrorists and BNP activists are carrying out subversive activities across the country in the name of a movement, he said, adding it never be a programme of a political party. Such brutal activities are not found anywhere in the world, he said.

Hasan Mahmud said, “I have just come from the COP28 conference. In a meeting with the Commonwealth Secretary, I asked him whether innocent people are being killed through arson attacks for politics anywhere in the world. His full team admitted that no such incident happened anywhere else in the world in the last 20 years.”

The minister said the BNP and Jamaat could not change their behaviour. Everyone should resist them, he added.

/KN/