Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has claimed that the country's law and order situation is better than it was last year, citing a decline of around 300 in the number of murders during the same period.
Speaking in the parliament on Tuesday, he urged lawmakers to assess the security situation by comparing crime statistics year on year rather than drawing conclusions from isolated incidents such as crude bomb explosions and arson attacks.
Responding to concerns raised by Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman and Chief Whip Nahid Islam during the fourth session of the 13th parliament, the minister said seven crude bomb explosions had been reported across the country in recent days. Law enforcement agencies had taken action, arresting several suspects.
Referring to a cocktail explosion on a vehicle near Dhaka University's Business Faculty, he said such incidents did not indicate a nationwide deterioration in law and order. Setting fire to abandoned vehicles at night or in the early morning also did not necessarily mean the political situation had become unstable.
Ahmed alleged that ousted Awami League-linked forces were attempting to create unrest, possibly with support from across the border. The government was investigating those involved and their sources of support, he said.
He also alleged that attempts to destabilise the garment sector had been planned abroad with local support, but the government had thwarted them. Law enforcement agencies had handled the unrest with restraint, while police, industrial police and Border Guard Bangladesh were working together to maintain security in industrial areas.
Assuring factory owners, investors and international buyers, the minister said the government would maintain a stable, industry-friendly environment and take firm action against attempts to disrupt production and exports.
Citing police website data, Ahmed said the number of murders had fallen by around 300 compared with the same period last year. He pledged to present detailed crime statistics in parliament on Wednesday so that the figures could be independently verified.
