Interview
Those accustomed to blasting crude bombs in hartal-blockades, hurled those: Home minister
The houses of political oppositions are being singled out and attacked. In some cases, secret attacks have been carried out targeting the opposition leaders and activists. Rozina Islam took an interview of home minister Asaduzzaman Khan on the attacks just before the parliamentary elections.
Crude bombs have been hurled at the house of BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas on Tuesday. Earlier, crude bombs were hurled at the house of deceased BNP leader Tariqul Islam as well. Attacks targeting the houses of BNP leaders and activists is a new trend…
Look, surely none of our party (Awami League) or those who would contest the upcoming election went to explode the crude bombs. The crude bombs were hurled by people who are accustomed to carry out such attacks during the hartal and blockades. Surely there are some specific reasons for this. I can’t say without any investigation, who is involved with such attacks and why this trend has grown. But this is a sad affair.
Attacks are being carried out secretly by people wearing masks in different places including Natore, Naogaon and Rajshahi. Political leaders and activists are being picked up in microbuses and being thrown away after beating up. One person has already died too. But the police are not seen taking any strong role, no investigation is also being carried out. Why?
I didn’t receive any information about attacks being carried out this way. I heard this for the first time from you. I only know one of our Jubo League leaders has been hacked to death. Those who have been boycotting elections have done this. They have been doing this in a planned way with an aim to create unrest. I’m sure these are being done by those who created the same situation in 2014.
Hartal, blockade and other political programmes were being enforced since the independence of Bangladesh. But lodging so many cases, trials are being completed so hastily and so many are being convicted. How do you view this?
Probably your question is not correct. Twenty one thousand people were killed during the tenure of BNP’s government in 2001 and 2006; nearly 25,000-30,000 cases were filed under the Special Powers Act. People have not forgotten those. They have shown the path of lodging cases.
It’s not that one person entered the house of the chief justice or the hospital. Hundreds of leaders and activists entered there, threw brick chips, broke the cameras thinking we might identify them if the cameras are there. But we kept drones, that’s why we are getting video footage. Cases are being lodged against the people whom we are finding in the footage.
Will Bangladesh run this way? What’s the future you foresee?
The people are election oriented now. The voting will be peaceful. Now everyone knows BNP is a known terrorist party. Not only we, rather, the whole world is saying this. They exploded crude bombs in all the districts, and has been doing that still. But the people are no longer confused by those. Everyone is election oriented. Everyone except they and their collaborators have been joining the election.
Is it possible to organise an acceptable election amid this situation? Had the governing party joined the election in this situation if they were in the opposition?
We never boycotted the election except staged one in the past. The people shun those who hurl crude bombs. We shall organise a fair election along with the people. We shall provide full security to the people on the voting day too. People would cast their votes peacefully.
* This interview, originally published in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Shameem Reza