Shibir Attack
Menon hints at law enforcers' weakness
(Left) Jamaat-Shibir activists vandalise a BRTC double-decker bus near Dainik Bangla intersection in the capital during yesterday's rampage starting around 9:45am. One of the activists carrying a bottle of flammable liquid, which he afterwards used to douse and torch a saloon car in the capital's Motijheel. Photo: Amran Hossain, Firoz Ahmed
Yesterday's violence carried out by Jamaat-Shibir activists indicates weaknesses of law enforcement agencies as they did not take necessary steps in advance to resist the attack, said lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon. “There is no logical ground to agree that our law enforcement agencies did not have prior information (about the attack),†he said. Menon was addressing a discussion, “Trial of Bachchu Razakar, threat of Jamaat-Shibir and future dutiesâ€, organised by Shamprodayikota-Jongibad Birodhi Mancha (anti-communal and anti-militancy platform) in the capital's Liberation War Museum. Yesterday, hundreds of Jamaat-Shibir activists went on the rampage in four districts including the capital demanding release of Jamaat leaders now facing charges of crimes against humanity at the international crimes tribunals. Apprehending that Jamaat-e-Islami and pro-Jamaat student organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir might create more volatile situations in the political arena, he urged law enforcers to remain more active. “During this crucial moment, BNP must clarify its stance on whether the party will work for or against war criminal. There is no opportunity for it to stay in the middle,†he said. Veteran left politician Pankaj Bhattacharya alleged that BNP was playing different tactics to protect war criminals. The mancha Member Secretary Noor Mohammad Talukder placed several demands, including trial of Jamaat as a political party for opposing the 1971 Liberation War. The mancha Coordinator Ahoy Roy chaired the discussion where Khandoker Ibrahim Khaled and Ramendu Majumder also spoke.
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