Digital Security Bill passed to gag media, hide corruption: BNP

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi

Branding the Digital Security Bill 2018’ as an ‘evil spirit of Baksal’, BNP on Thursday alleged that the government has enacted the law to hide its ‘massive corruption’ and gag the media and people’s voice, reports UNB.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Naya Paltan central office, party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also called upon the people, journalists and those who believe in free-thinking to put up a resistance against it.

”The controversial Digital Security Bill was passed in parliament yesterday (Wednesday) to gag the media and shut the mouths of people of Bangladesh. This law is an evil spirit of Baksal,” he said.
The BNP leader further said, “This black law was formulated to conceal the corruption of the government’s lakhs of crore taka.”
He said the law was also made so that no mass media or any other platform can publish any report on the government’s corruption.
”People’s freedom of speech and their individual overall freedom have been snatched through the black law,” he observed.
Rizvi also alleged the law will contribute to rise in the offences like corruption and human rights violation. “The articles 8, 21, 25, 28, 29, 31, 32 and 43 of the black law are unconstitutional.”
”The constitution’s main spirit, especially the rights of free thinking, freedom of expression, and the freedom of press, have been snatched through the law,” he noted.
The BNP leader also said the Digital Security Bill has put people’s security under a threat as law enforcers now will be able to raid media outlets, seize computers and other equipment and arrest anyone without any warrant. 
He feared that common people will also be affected by the law.