'Smoking in public a crime, prohibited for both men, women': Home adviser urges all to practice restraint in Ramadan
Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has urged all to practice restraint during Ramadan and avoid smoking in public places.
"As you know, smoking in public is prohibited for both men and women. It's a crime, and everyone should adhere to it. I urge everyone not to smoke outside," he told reporters today (2 March) responding to a query about yesterday's attack on two girls in Lalmatia.
He also said, "From what I understand about the attack on the two girls, both were smoking cigarettes. Some locals, on their way to prayer, stopped them. Then the girls threw their tea at them."
"During Ramadan, everyone needs to practice restraint. Our religious adviser has urged all not to eat in public. It's a matter of showing respect to those who are fasting," the adviser said after inspecting the 'Public Order Management' police lines in Mirpur-14 in the capital.
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Around 5:30pm yesterday (1 March), a commotion broke out right near the NHA Tower in the capital's Lalmatia.
It began when a 60-year-old resident allegedly asked two around twenty-year-old girls, sitting on chairs on a footpath, to get up from there.
The girls, who were customers at a nearby tea stall, then asked why they should move.
The irate elderly man – who some residents claim has political connections – then ordered the tea stall owner to remove all the chairs.
He then allegedly shouted expletives at the young girls. At one point of the verbal onslaught, one of the women was said to have thrown the tea at the man.
He then grabbed her hair and began to strike her, eyewitnesses said.
Some men from nearby joined in, berating the women. When two passersby tried to help, they were also reportedly beaten up by the gathered crowd.
In time, police arrived at the scene.
The elderly man claimed to those gathered that the girls were smoking marijuana, although they denied this, saying they were only smoking cigarettes.
Speaking to The Business Standard, Deputy Commissioner of Tejgaon division of police Md Ibne Mizan, said police arrived after news of the scuffle reached them.
He said the two female students were harassed over smoking in the area.
They went to the scene and rescued the students and took them to Mohammadpur Police Station.
Later, the matter was resolved after talking to both parties and the two students were released in the custody of their families, said the police official.
