Govt It Is Not Concerned by AL Lockdown Programme: Home Minister
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government is not concerned about the Awami League’s announced lockdown programme, despite crude bomb blasts and bus fires reported in Dhaka. Meanwhile DMP’s Detective Branch confirms that Awami League activists were involved in the bus fires and cocktail blasts.
In a Nutshell
- Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on September 20 that the government was not worried about the Awami League’s lockdown programme or recent crude bomb blast incidents in Dhaka.
- The Awami League, whose political activities are currently banned, had announced the lockdown for September 20. Crude bomb blasts and bus fires were subsequently reported at several locations in the capital, including near the High Court and in Jatrabari while some buses were also set on fire.
- DMP’s Detective Branch said Awami League activists were involved in the bus fires and cocktail blasts, with investigators believing the incidents were carried out under instructions from the party’s top leadership.
- Four people were arrested after four unexploded cocktails were recovered from a building in Lalbagh. Police said one of those arrested was an office secretary of an Awami League ward unit in Bangshal.
- Salahuddin added opposition parties were free to hold programmes and that the government’s responsibility was to help them take place peacefully.
Context
A lockdown programme was announced by the Awami League following a verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal involving several of its senior leaders. Subsequently, crude bomb blasts and bus fires were reported at several locations in the capital.
It came as opposition parties were holding long marches over issues including fuel, gas and electricity shortages. Salahuddin said those opposition programmes were part of democratic activity and had taken place peacefully in Chattogram and northern Bangladesh.
Why It Matters
DMP has directly linked the bus fires and cocktail blasts to Awami League activists and said they suspect instructions came from the party’s top level. Meanwhile, on September 20th, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that the government viewed the incidents as a continuation of activities attributed to the Awami League over the past two years and added that the opposition parties were free to hold programmes and that the government’s responsibility was to help them take place peacefully.
What We Think
The Awami League has a visible recurring pattern of blasting crude bomb blasts and setting buses on fire. The DMP has clearly attributed the recent to Awami League activists.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed’s dismissal of concerns about the Awami League’s announced lockdown is valid because the organisation and its political activities remain officially banned.