Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said the ongoing curfew will remain in place until a sense of security is restored.
The minister said this while providing financial aid to the families of policemen and Ansar members killed during the quota reform movement, in the meeting room of his ministry at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
Earlier, after meeting with the families of three police officers and one Ansar member killed during violence linked to the movement, the minister handed them Tk200,000 in cash, Tk800,000 in savings certificates from the government, and a cheque for Tk500,000 from Bangladesh Police to each family.
When asked by journalists about when the curfew might be lifted, he said: "We will lift the curfew when you tell us that you feel safe."
'We have never seen a curfew before'Addressing the families of the deceased, he assured them: "You will never feel alone. The government and the country stand beside you. We are prepared to assist you in any way possible. I will try to get you to meet with the prime minister soon."
Regarding the number of casualties among students or civilians during the quota reform movement, when asked, the minister said: "We do not have an exact figure of how many people have died."
“No cases have been filed with any police station. Police are collecting information, and we will provide details later," he added.
Leaders of the quota reform movement have alleged that some of their members are missing. When asked about this, he said: "We have no information on such cases. No complaints have been filed by their families either. If they file complaints, we can inform you."
Meanwhile, several cases related to incidents of violence during the movement have been filed. When asked if these cases would go to speedy trial tribunals, he said: "First, chargesheets need to be filed. Decisions will be made based on the merits of the cases."
