Prime Minister’s Political Assistant Rashed Khan on Monday demanded the arrest of Leader of the Opposition and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, accusing him of instigating the arson attack on a police vehicle in Mirpur amid the garment workers’ demonstrations over wages.
“A police vehicle was set on fire in Mirpur. The Jamaat ameer should be arrested and brought to justice for this act of arson. As an instigator, he cannot evade responsibility for the incident,” Rashed said.
He made the demand while talking to reporters after a programme at the Jatiya Press Club.
Rashed alleged that Shafiqur had recently said if the people stood with Jamaat, the party would implement its seven-point demand and “smash everything of the government”.
“Awami League is hatching conspiracies, and Jamaat is behind these conspiracies. It is instigating them. So, I believe the Jamaat ameer should be arrested over this arson attack and legal action should be taken against him,” the PM’s political assistant said.
Referring to the Jamaat ameer’s remarks at a recent long march and a subsequent Facebook post, he questioned the call for the government to take a tough stance.
“You said at the long march that everything would be smashed. Now you have posted on Facebook that the government must be tough. When you made that remark at the long march, did you not think about this?” Rashed said.
He further alleged that the Jamaat chief could not evade responsibility for the alleged acts of anarchy, arson and violence being carried out by the “Awami League” across the country.
Meanwhile, garment workers continued demonstrations and blocked highways and major roads in Gazipur, Savar and Narayanganj on Monday, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.
At least two vehicles, including a police vehicle, were set on fire in Gazipur and Savar, while a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) member and an Industrial Police officer were injured in clashes with workers.
The unrest continued despite the government's formation of a six-member minimum wage board on Sunday to review the wage structure for garment workers amid widespread protests in the country's industrial belts.