Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that since the incumbent government assumed office, every heinous crime has been swiftly detected, the perpetrators arrested and necessary legal action taken.
He made the remarks at a press briefing on the current law and order situation at the conference room of the Home Ministry at Bangladesh Secretariat this afternoon.
The minister said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, had been able to detect all heinous crimes within the shortest possible time and take necessary legal action.
“In cases that take time, we will see the extent of progress after the investigations are completed,” he said.
Expressing deep sorrow over the recent killing of 13-year-old Aprotimo in Cumilla, he said the boy’s body was recovered within 24 hours of his disappearance and four suspected perpetrators were arrested within the following 12 hours.
The suspects have already confessed to the crime, he said. Preliminary investigations found that they were involved in a juvenile criminal gang and were 5 to 10 years older than the victim. The victim’s mobile phone and other evidence were recovered from them.
Praising the police for their prompt action, the minister said a charge sheet would be submitted after completing the legal process as quickly as possible. He said the government would extend all-out cooperation to the judiciary to ensure that the trial was completed within a short time, as in the Ramisa murder case.
Regarding statistics on missing children released by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), the minister said the government was taking the issue seriously and examining the data and information.
Identifying social degradation as a major cause of crime, he said almost all cases showed links between cyber crimes and factors such as drugs, gambling and pornography. To overcome the situation and restore social order, the government was placing greater emphasis on cultural activities, sports and moral education from the primary and secondary school levels so that young people could develop with clear goals.
He also called on responsible citizens from all sections of society to perform their duties from their respective positions.
Strongly criticising recent incidents of overnight cocktail explosions and arson attacks on parked buses in different parts of the capital, the minister said the incidents were carried out in connection with the so-called ‘lockdown’ programme of the banned political party Awami League.
He said suspects involved in the cocktail attacks had been arrested along with motorcycles and were being interrogated. Those involved in the incidents at the High Court gate and Jatrabari had also been brought under the law. Efforts were under way to identify those involved in other incidents by analysing CCTV footage.
The minister stressed that neither the people nor the government were in any way intimidated by such activities and said the people had already rejected and boycotted those behind them.
On the opposition party’s recent long marches, Salahuddin said every political party had the right to engage in constructive criticism and programmes in a democratic system.
The recent long marches in Chattogram and the northern region were held peacefully, and the law enforcement agencies provided them with full cooperation, he said.
Saying that all political issues would ultimately be decided through public opinion, the minister said the government’s primary responsibility was to maintain peace and order and ensure speedy trials for crimes by ending the culture of impunity.
Speaking about the electricity and energy crisis, he identified rising oil prices in the international market and past negligence in domestic gas exploration as the main reasons.
He said temporary pressure had emerged in the power and energy sector due to accumulated problems from the previous period, but the current government had focused on exploiting the country’s own resources.
A plan has been taken to drill 150 new gas wells by 2030-31 to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to the industrial sector, he said. As part of the plan, 12 million cubic feet of gas per day from well No. 28 of the Titas Gas Field had already been added to the national grid.
The minister expressed hope that Bangladesh would soon become self-sufficient in gas through the use of its own natural resources and find a permanent solution to the power and energy crisis.
Responding to questions about the recent incident in Tejgaon, the minister said 23 people were detained on intelligence information after they held a secret meeting at a mosque in Tejgaon following Friday prayers.
After forensic examination of their mobile phones and preliminary interrogation, 11 people against whom no evidence was found were released into the custody of their guardians.
According to information obtained about the others, they were attempting to form a new extremist organisation called ‘Ittihadul Ummah’, he said.
Reiterating the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards any form of extremist activity, the minister said cases had been filed against those involved and they had been remanded in custody, while investigations were continuing in accordance with the law.