Police probing whether Ishraque violated law by displaying gun during anti-drug drive
Wielding a gun, Ishraque, who is also the Dhaka-6 MP, led the surprise raid on a suspected drug den in his constituency in the capital yesterday, drawing criticism and creating debate over whether it was right or legal for him to do it.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is investigating whether State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain violated any laws by displaying his licensed firearm during an anti-drug drive in the capital's Gandaria area yesterday (17 October).
Action will be taken against those concerned if evidence of any irregularities or legal violations is found, said DMP Additional Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam, also the chief of the DMP Detective Branch, while responding to journalists at the DMP Media Centre today (18 October).
Ishraque, also the Dhaka-6 MP, has defended raising the firearm, saying he acted in self-defence amid fears of an imminent attack.
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In a statement issued today, he said he and his security personnel briefly raised their weapons after 30-35 people allegedly approached their convoy aggressively near a suspected drug den.
He claimed law enforcement agencies and his intelligence sources had warned of possible threats, including the risk of drug traders firing at them from rooftops.
He said the firearm was put away once the perceived threat had passed and that it was displayed within the legal framework.
The incident drew criticism after a video posted on Ishraque's Facebook page showed him carrying a gun while pursuing several people during the operation. The video was later deleted following online criticism.
The raid took place near a slum beside the railway tracks in the Doyaganj rail gate area, following residents' complaints about drug trading and the spread of drugs among students, Ishraque said.
He claimed four to five makeshift drug dens were dismantled and heroin, foreign liquor, drug-use paraphernalia, locally made sharp weapons, cash allegedly linked to drug sales and phones suspected to have been snatched were seized. Six alleged drug traders were detained and handed over to police, he added.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami condemned the firearm display. Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, secretary of the party's Central Publicity and Media Department, called it a sign of a "reign of terror" and said a state minister should not take the law into his own hands or create public fear by brandishing a firearm.
Zubair also criticised the alleged aggressive conduct of Ishraque's bodyguards and urged the authorities to take action.
