No right to arrest without warrant unless cognizable offence: Law minister

Law minister Anisul Huq has said, "Radical changes have been made to the sections of the Digital Security Act to which the journalist community had objections. There are only four cognizable offences in the Cyber Security Act. The rest are all non-cognizable offences. No law enforcement agency has the right to make arrests without warrant other than for cognizable offence. The questions being raised are misinterpretations of the Cyber Security Act."

The law minister was replying to questions of journalists at the special extended meeting of Akhaura upazila's Dakkhin union Awami League on at 11:30 in the morning.

Law minister Anisul Huq said, "If anyone commits a technical offence like hacking or entering a computer and destroying anything, then under the Cyber Security Act there is provision for a 14-year prison sentence. Radical changes have been made to the sections about which the journalists had objection. There are conditions to the provision for arrest without warrant. The offence has to be a cognizable one if such an arrest is to be made."

Speaking as chief guest at the special extended meeting, Anisul Huq said, "BNP and Jamaat are involved in conspiracy again over the forthcoming elections. Look at history and you will see that they never coming to power by entering though the front door at first. They always enter through the back door. They steal votes. They do not allow people to vote. They first came to power, then formed their party."

Criticising opposition BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the law minister also said, "After Father of the National Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally killed on 15 August 1975, attempts were made to make Bangladesh's wheels of independence backwards. Ziaur Rahman formed the government with the killers and razakars. He tried to destroy the country. Ershad tried to do exactly the same after Ziaur Rahman was killed."

Anisul Huq went on to say, "You are aware that Ziaur Rahman accommodated Bangabandhu's killers in the foreign ministry and made them ambassadors. And when Ershad came to power, he allowed these killers to form Freedom Party and contest in the presidential election to lend the election legitimacy. And Khaleda Zia made a killer the leader of the opposition. As I said, the wheels of independence were turned backwards and all this is the evidence."

The next election will be held in the last week of December of 2023 or the first week of January 2024, said Anisul Huq. He called upon the people to vote for the 'boat' and elect Sheikh Hasina to power once again to make dream of Sonar Bangla come true.