Govt not worried over crude bomb blasts, arson attacks: Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Sunday said the government is not at all worried about recent crude bomb blasts, arson and other activities in the capital, saying such acts had been visible earlier.

He said those involved in the crude bomb blasts have been arrested while those behind the arson attacks on buses are being identified through CCTV footage, the minister told reporters at Secretariat.

He said the government has heard that the “ousted fascist force”, “mafia force” and the banned political party Awami League has announced a “so-called” programme following a verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal.

“Perhaps today is the 20th, and they have called it a lockdown. Targeting that, some crude bomb blasts took place at one or two places in the capital at night,” he said.

“We have been able to arrest every accused along with motorcycles. They are being interrogated. Those who hurled a crude bomb in front of the High Court gate have also been arrested. Arrests have also been made in the Jatrabari incident,” he said.

Regarding the bus arson, the minister said some buses including abandoned ones and those parked at different places at night without drivers or helpers were targeted.

“As you have seen, one or two of them were set on fire. We are also trying to find them out by examining CCTV footage. They will definitely be identified and action will be taken against them,” he said.

The government is “not paying much attention” to these incidents, he added.

Asked about the possible law-and-order situation in the coming months amid a message from ousted former prime minister about returning in December, Friday’s incident at Gulshan and the “lockdown” programme announced for Sunday, the minister said, “We have heard the word lockdown. But where is the lockdown visible here? The nation is rejecting these.”

He said Awami League which is accused of killing 1,400 people and carrying out a massacre has yet to apologise to the nation or admit their mistakes. “According to the UN report, it was 1,400, and according to our report, it was more than 2,000.”

“They have not apologised to the nation, have not admitted their mistakes and are making statements from abroad,” he said.

The minister said the people would never politically accept Awami League in the country, describing such activities as “irrelevant”.

“Whether they return in December or February, we have no attention on these matters,” he said.

Asked whether the Awami League is taking advantage of the opposition party’s long marches and whether the opposition is providing an opportunity for Awami League to take to the streets, Salahuddin said the government pays attention when the opposition criticises it.

Regarding the opposition’s long march, he said, “The opposition has some demands, and they held the long march over those demands. They can do so. This is democratic culture, and they will carry out their programmes. Our responsibility is to help them hold their programmes peacefully. We have done that.”

He said a long march was held in Chattogram without any violence or clash, while another long march from Dhaka to the northern region was held peacefully on Saturday.

“They have expressed their views. They may have different demands, but if people support those demands, people will speak for them,” he said.

The minister said the next election would be held after five years in accordance with the rules and through the democratic process and public opinion would then show whom the people support.

“I have no comment on this matter now,” he said.

He said the “fascist forces” of the Awami League are carrying out small scale crude bomb attacks in reaction to the ICT verdict and has announced the programme for that reason.“There is no connection with instability,” he said.

Salahuddin added that Awami League has been carrying out such activities for nearly two years and that it was a continuation of those activities.

“Whether they have any connection with the opposition’s programme, you should find that out yourselves. I do not want to comment on this,” he said.

Regarding the opposition’s demands for resolving the fuel, gas and electricity crises, the home minister said the issues have already been discussed extensively in parliament.