Mahmudur hurt Muslims: Tuku

State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Hoque Tuku has accused Daily Amar Desh Acting Editor Mahmudur Rahman of hurting people’s religious sentiment and argued that he was arrested to ‘establish rule of law’.

Speaking at an anti-shutdown rally of Krishak League at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka, Tuku on Thursday said those who were against the people would not be spared.

“Mahmudur hurt the religious sentiments of devout Muslims as well. This cannot be tolerated,” he said.

“If anyone hurts the religious sentiments, whoever he is -- powerful leader, journalist, blogger – that person will be brought to justice.”

Police arrested Rahman in a raid on the Amar Desh office on Thursday morning on charges of sedition and for unlawfully publishing an alleged Skype conversation between a former Chairman of International Crimes Tribunal and a lawyer of Bangladeshi origin now living in Brussels.

Later on Thursday, a court in Dhaka ruled that police could detain Rahman for 13 days for questioning in three cases.

Secular groups have accused Rahman of being the moving force behind whipping up religious passions against bloggers and online activists leading the Ganajagaran Mancha at Shahbagh. The Mancha had even set a deadline for the government to arrest Rahman.

About the Motijheel rally and demands by fundamentalist group Hifazat-e Islam he said, “Opposition chief Khaleda Zia is currently busy with attempts to thwart the way for women’s development.”

“Since Jamaat is no longer useful in establishing the propaganda, millions of taka are being spent on Hifazat-e Islam to deploy these fundamentalists”

Two senior leaders of the BNP appeared in Hifazat’s rally in the capital on Apr 6 to show solidarity on behalf of Khaleda.

The junior Home Minister urged the opposition to stay away from calling shutdowns, vandalising vehicles and torching them.

“Avoid the path of chaos. Join the next Parliament session,” he said.

Following a BNP-sponsored 36-hour nationwide shutdown from Tuesday, Islami Chhatra Shibir enforced a countrywide general strike on Thursday.

The ruling party’s affiliate Krishak League organised the rally in front of the Awami League head office protesting the shutdown of the Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing.