Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir said yesterday that legal action would be taken against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for supporting Hefazat-e-Islam’s activities and asking her party activists to join the Islamist forum’s sit-in programme late Sunday night.
He also said the government would not give Hefazat any more space because of its subversive activities on Sunday.
“Actions will be taken against the perpetrators [of Sunday’s destructive activities] and their instigators,” he told reporters at his ministry office after a meeting of the cabinet.
“BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has committed an offence by supporting Hefazat’s programme and its destructive activities, and asking her party leaders to join its sit-in programme,” MK Alamgir said.
“BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami instigated Hefazat activists to create anarchy in the city … a planned killing mission was carried out in Dhaka on Sunday,” he said. “They attacked and put fire on public and private installations; they attacked law enforcement agencies, which is an anti-state activity. By supporting these anti-state elements, the BNP and Jamaat committed an offence.”
On the setting of fire to shops that sold the Qur’an, he said: “They [Hefazat] hurt the main pillar of Islam by setting fire to the Qur’an. They cannot be Muslim. How will they protect Islam with those who do such things?”
The home minister said different cases would be filed against the perpetrators of such violence and the instigators.
He said: “The government has taken strong steps, and will continue to act strongly in the future, too.”
