Legal action if public suffering is created: Home minister

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner will inform his decision to concerned people regarding the 27 July grand rally of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the city soon, said home minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

“There is no bar if the demonstration is peaceful. But legal actions will be taken immediately if public suffering is created,” he said.

A five-member delegation of the European Union led by the bloc’s special representative for human rights, Eamon Gilmore, held a meeting with the home minister at his secretariat office on Tuesday.

The minister was talking to media at his office after the meeting.

Asked, Asaduzzaman Khan said, “Suddenly they are observing programmes that are creating public sufferings. Since they are a political party, they said they have started a movement. We will not obstruct them in their movements. We do not have any objection if they come to movement along with people. But we have objections if they force people to join their movement.”

The home minister also said, “We will have objections if they create public sufferings. We will have objections if they do something blocking roads or harm lives and properties of people. Immediately we will obstruct them. But there is no obstacle to peaceful demonstrations. You have seen, whenever they sought permission for holding road march or rally or anything else, we did not bar them from anything. They also observed their programmes in a fair manner. There will be no obstruction if they want to observe any programme in the future too. But legal ations would be taken whenever they would create public sufferings and destroy public lives and properties.”

The home minister further said they organised youth rally after their road march. Now they have sent a letter to police commissioner seeking his permission for a large rally. The police commissioner said he is yet to inform them his decision. Probably he will inform them his decision very soon.