Staff  correspondent :

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said at the directives of BNP-Jamaat leaders, terrorists killed innocent people by hurling petrol bombs and carrying out arson attacks during the siege in 2013, 2014 and 2015 period in the name of realising political demands.”Such incidents did not happen anywhere in contemporary times, not only in the history of the country but also in the political history of the world,” he said.

Hasan said: “Bringing only those who carried out the attacks to justice will not be enough rather those who gave directives and who financed should be tried too. If trial does not take place for these kinds of crimes, the country will witness recurrence of such incidents.”The minister was addressing, as the chief guest, a token hunger strike programme with the demand of bringing human rights violator BNP-Jamaat’s arson terrorists and patrons to justice on the premises of the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital. ‘Agnisantraser Artonad’ organized it.Hasan, also the AL joint general secretary, said BNP-Jamaat’s terrorists hurled petrol bombs on innocent people, school-going boys and girls, people who are returning from Biswa Ijtema, bus passengers, sleeping drivers of truck during blockade and the people were burnt and thus the BNP-Jamaat clique destroyed the humanity.”Only those who hurled petrol bombs are not offenders. The order came from London. BNP leaders including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Mirza Abbas gave directives of the attacks. At their directives and sponsorship, petrol bomb attacks were carried out,” he said.Today those who are victims of the attacks are demanding justice, he said.Hasan said Mirza Fakhrul, who always makes bigger talks, cannot deny the liability of committing the crimes under the leadership of his party.All offenders will be brought to justice, he said.He said these working class people, who are victims of the arson terrorism, are the citizens and owners of the country.”They (victims) don’t do politics and don’t understand politics. Even they didn’t join any political programme. They were on streets for their regular works to earn wages. Such heinous crimes against humanity didn’t happen anywhere in the world,” he said.Expressing solidarity with victims and their family members, the minister said the case should be disposed quickly.”So, I think this trial of this case should be held through speedy trial tribunal. I am expressing solidarity with the demand of justice and exemplary punishment of the criminals,” he said.Pointing to foreign agencies and diplomats, Hasan said those who talks about human rights should express solidarity with the victims who rights were violated to stop the path of recurrence of such crimes forever. Advocate Khodaza Nasreen, MP, who is also a victim of petrol-bomb attack, chaired the programme while ‘Agnisantraser Artonad’ convener Shahadat Hossain Babul moderated it and Md Rashidul Islam coordinated the programme.More than 100 victim women and men including, Geeta Rani Sen, who received burn injuries in the petrol bomb attack, deceased Nahid’s mother Runi Begum, deceased Yusuf’s son Jahedul Islam, deceased Anwar Hossain’s wife Parvin, deceased police personnel Siddhartha’s father Bimal Chandra Sarker gave pathetic speeches in the programme. Former Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, Dhaka University former Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the board of directors of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, AL’s Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Aminul Islam Amin, DU Social Sciences Faculty Dean Dr Zia Rahman, Sammilita Sangskritik Jote President Golam Quddus, AL Deputy Publicity Secretary Syed Abdul Awal Shamim, Ekushey Television Chief Executive Officer Pijush Bandyopadhyay and Barrister Tania Amir, among others, expressed solidarity with the demands of the victims and their family members.Petrol-bomb attack victims and family members of deceased broke their fast by drinking water given by AL Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud.