More than 4,500 BNP leaders, activists killed in 'crossfire' over past 17yrs: Law minister

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman today (15 September) said that more than 4,500 leaders and activists of the ruling BNP were killed in "crossfire" over the past 17 years, and many others were disappeared or killed without trial under the "fascist" government.

He made the remark at a view exchange meeting with local lawmakers, government officials and representatives of different professions at the Bagerhat deputy commissioner's office this afternoon.

Referring to the current law and order situation, the minister said the government had brought incidents of enforced disappearance and "crossfire" down to zero.

"Over the past 17 years, people were picked up and killed without trial for being BNP or Jamaat activists. These killings were called 'crossfire'. People were also forcibly disappeared," he said.

He claimed that more than 60 lakh people were implicated in false "ghost cases" during that period, with police acting as complainants in 99% of those cases.

"We are trying to stop this culture," he said, adding that police should not be used to harass political opponents through cases.

On the drug situation, Asaduzzaman said the masterminds behind drug syndicates were still out of reach and that drugs were being brought across the border by using drones.

"Drugs cannot be a business. We have zero tolerance for this. If any leader is behind it, we are warning them too," he said.

The minister said drug addiction had now turned into a social disease and called for collective efforts to make society drug-free.

Referring to the disappearance case of Miraj Sheikh, which he described as a case study for the country, Asaduzzaman said the government was investigating the allegation with great care and seriousness.

"We do not want Miraj's family to be deprived of justice," he said.

He also said Miraj's family members had been arrested for allegedly vandalising government property while protesting what they claimed was his disappearance.

The family was provided legal assistance through the law ministry's legal aid unit, which also helped secure their bail, he said, adding, "Cases will proceed at their own pace. We want to provide services to people within the legal framework."

The minister said granting or denying bail was a matter for the court.

He warned that strict action would be taken against anyone resorting to mob justice or trying to secure or block bail through mob pressure.

Regarding law and order in Bagerhat, Asaduzzaman said several murders had taken place in the district and instructed law enforcement agencies to bring anyone facing allegations under the law, regardless of how powerful they were.

"If any powerful BNP leader tries to protect someone accused of a crime, you must also show zero tolerance. Someone cannot commit murder and roam freely while people say that nothing happens even if someone kills. The police are not so weak yet. The law will take its own course," he told law enforcement officials.