So far, 80 suspects have been arrested for their involvement in the acid attack in Hazari Gali, Chittagong city. Security has been strengthened in the area. However, the situation is still prevailing in the whole area.
This information was given by the joint forces at a press conference at the army’s 34 Engineering Construction Brigade camp at Dampara in the city on Wednesday afternoon. On behalf of the joint forces, the spokesperson of Task Force-4 Lt. Col. Ferdous Ahmed spoke to the media persons.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of City Police (Public Relations) Kazi Md. Besides Tarek Aziz, representatives of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were also present.
Lt. Col. Ferdous Ahmed said, ‘The process of identifying the real culprits is ongoing by checking various CCTV footages and intelligence information.
The matter of handing over the detained persons to the court through legal process along with the necessary interrogation at the concerned police station is also under process. Joint operations are continuing to bring the situation under control and security has been beefed up in other areas of the city including Hazari Gali.’
In response to a question from journalists, this army chief said, ‘The law will follow its own course. We are verifying the intelligence information at the field level. We will complete the legal procedures accordingly. After the fall of the government, we have worked according to the guidelines of the government so that the peaceful gatherings are not disrupted.
When asked about the sealing of shops in Hazari Street, he said, ‘As acid was thrown on army and police personnel in that area, the shops were sealed in the presence of the magistrate. We are looking for relevance. The normal operation of the shops will be ensured after the completion of the investigation.
In response to the question whether the detained persons have political identity, he said, ‘criminals do not actually have any political identity. They have no caste, religion, caste.’
Spokesperson of Task Force-4 Lieutenant Colonel Ferdous Ahmed said in the press conference, ‘Yesterday at 5:30 pm tension was created in Hazari Lane of Teribazar area based on an anti-ISCON Facebook post by a person named Osman Ali. An estimated 500-600 miscreants gathered at Hazari Lane to kill Osman Ali and his brother and set fire to the shop. Based on the information received from the local control room, 6 patrolling teams of army, police and BGB members reached there at the earliest.’
He said, ‘As the number of rioters was too many, joint forces rescued Osman Ali and his brother to protect lives and prevent mob justice. Despite assuring the aggrieved crowd of redress through due legal process, the aggressors at one point became more aggressive. The miscreants then launched a sudden acid-attack on the joint forces and started hurling broken glass bottles along with heavy bricks.’
Lt. Col. Ferdous Ahmed informed about the attack again, “As a result, five members of the army and 7 policemen were injured. The injured soldiers are currently undergoing treatment at Chittagong Combined Military Hospital. Besides, the miscreants broke the front window of an army vehicle by pelting bricks at the spot. After the rescue operation, when 10 patrolling teams of the joint forces went to the area around 9 am to identify the miscreants, the hidden miscreants again started throwing acid on the joint forces. At this time, the joint forces were able to arrest 80 suspects from the scene.
(Dhaka Times/06 November/MR)
Source: www.dhakatimes24.com
