Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed her ministers and high officials of the law enforcement and the intelligence agencies to take tough actions against those responsible for the recent killings and unrest in Narayanganj.
The premier also asked them to ensure that none of the perpetrators of the abduction and killing of seven people in the district last month manage to evade justice and flee the country.
The instructions were given during an informal discussion with cabinet members at the end of a regular cabinet meeting at the secretariat yesterday, a senior minister told the Dhaka Tribune.
The minister, seeking anonymity, said the cabinet members, including the prime minister, expressed distress over the brutal killings.
Narayanganj City Corporation Councillor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker, along with five aides, were abducted in separate incidents on April 27. Their decomposing bodies were recovered days later from the Shitalakhya River.
At yesterday’s meeting, Hasina enquired about the steps taken to investigate the killings.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan informed the
cabinet about the initiatives taken by his ministry to apprehend those responsible.
Several ministers took part in an open discussion, and most of them blamed the state minister for the ministry’s failure to control law and order and ensure people’s safety across the country, particularly in Narayanganj.
Expressing her discontent, Hasina, who is also in charge of the home ministry, informed the cabinet that she will look into the Narayanganj incident personally to calm the tense situation there.
The prime minister, without mentioning any names, said those involved in the brutal killings and the ensuing unrest will not be spared from facing trial and punishment.
“The prime minister was in an angry mood as the government faces a serious image crisis over the Narayanganj incident,” an official who attended the meeting told this correspondent,
“The prime minister assured her cabinet colleagues that everything will be done to arrest and punish the culprits in order to restore the government’s image. The ‘godfathers’ might have to face action, if needed,” the official added.
