State minister for home Shamsul Haque on Wednesday said that police had discharged their responsibility to check vandalism and protect public life and property during hartal hours.
He made the remark when his attention was drawn to police action on the main opposition's members of parliament that left opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque seriously injured on the Manik Mia Avenue near the Sangsad Bhaban on the first day of the two-day shutdown called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies.
The state minister alleged that a handful of BNP lawmakers, led by Zainul Abdin were making attempts to vandalise vehicles on the street.
'Zainul Abdin hurled abusive words and wanted to slap on-duty DC and ADC of police. He also threatened that their children would be picked up from schools as the lawmen obstructed them from vandalising vehicles,' Shamsul said, replying to reporters' queries at the secretariat.
He said that the provocations from the BNP leaders led to police action.
Terming the incident unwarranted, the state minister, however, said that the authorities could take action if police were found to have done excesses on the BNP lawmakers.
Asked why police baton-charged the lawmakers injuring Zainul in his head without arresting them, he said police could explain the situation better.
He, however, said police should have been more cautious in performing their responsibilities.
BNP and its allies on Sunday called the nationwide 48-hour hartal that began on Wednesday in protest against dropping the caretaker government system from the Constitution and to press for other demands.
On Monday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while presiding over the weekly cabinet meeting, ordered the law enforcement agencies to deal with protesters sternly 'to protect public life and property' during hartal hours.
Asked whether the police action on the opposition lawmakers would damage the image of the Awami League-led government, Shamsul said people would give the judgment.
He said the incident would not have occurred if all would have been responsible in performing their respective duties.
Shamsul alleged that BNP had called the hartal to sabotage and also to encourage militancy in the country. 'BNP is enforcing hartal to establish Pakistani Islam in Bangladesh,' he remarked.
He called upon the main opposition to shun the politics of destruction and sit for discussions to find ways as to how the general elections could be held in a free and fair manner.
Source : New Age
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