Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged the citizens to cooperate with the government to make sure the perpetrators of the recent mayhem are nabbed from every nook and corner of the country to get punishment.
“I would like to call upon the people of the country that they should find out those who were involved in these destructions and cooperate for ensuring their punishment,” she said.
The premier made the call while visiting Bangladesh Television (BTV) Bhaban in the city’s Rampura area to see the extent of damage after it came under attack during the recent student violence.
She inspected different parts of the BTV Bhaban which was set on fire by a mob during the student movement for reformation of quota in public service.
Hasina said BNP and Jamaat terrorists particularly Shibir men, gathering from across the country, carried out these attacks in the capital.
“They carried out these things using the anti-quota movement,” she said.
About BTV, the prime minister said coming to power in 1996 she equipped the state-owned television with the then latest technologies including cameras. After returning to power for the second time in 2009, she modernised the television centre further, said the PM.
“But now the people of Bangla are witnessing the terrible scenes like the infernal devastations committed by Pakistani occupation forces in 1971,” she said.
She said even the Pakistani occupation forces didn’t attack the television. But the attackers torched this television and damaged it so badly that nothing was spared from destruction.
“Who are they? Are they the people of this country? Were they born in this country who carried out these attacks with an intention to destroy the country?” she said adding that they also destroyed metro-rail, which is a pride for every Bengali.
Noting that the mobs went to attack water treatment plants, sewerage treatment plants and the garbage trucks of the city corporation, she said they attacked on the installations which serve the people very much. “What mentality do they have?” she added.
Referring to the arson violence unleashed by BNP-Jamaat in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Hasina said some 3,800 transport vehicles were damaged setting fire on theses during the violence.
She said but this time the character of the arson violence is different. “This time they used gunpowder and so, these things were gutted to ashes in a while,” she said.
Citing that Bangladesh is now a role model for development in the world, Hasina said “When we’ve taken Bangladesh to a dignified position, is it (this mayhem) the reward for it (government’s success)? Didn’t they enjoy the benefits from the establishments they torched?”