Their remarks came at a time when several Islamist parties including Hifazat-e-Islam are demanding such steps against alleged ‘atheist bloggers’.
The Detective Branch of the Police late on Monday night arrested three ‘bloggers’ from different parts of the capital over alleged inflammatory posts on the internet on sensitive religious issues.
Bloggers and online activists have strongly protested the police move.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed and Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir both told reporters that defaming any religion will not be allowed.
“Whoever hurts the religious sentiment will be brought to justice. Legal action will be taken if defamatory statements are made in the electronic media, Facebook or blog,” Shafique Ahmed said,
Then the Law Minister read the Article 57 of the Bangladesh Penal Code to the reporters.
Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir said, “Three people were arrested yesterday [Monday] for hurting religious sentiments. Investigations against them are underway.”
The ministers were speaking with journalists at the Secretariat in the capital.
The protest organised by bloggers and online activists on Feb 5 demanding maximum penalty to war criminals turned into a mass movement under the ‘Ganajagaran Mancha’ and that spread to most parts of the country.
Various student and cultural organisations have joined the protest which also calls for a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami.
Several radical ‘Islamist’ parties soon began a tirade against the movement for alleged offensive comments against Islam and the Prophet.
Ganajagaran Mancha organisers have said that these parties were acting against the bloggers on behalf of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
The two Ministers said on Tuesday, action will be taken against those who made the false claim that Imams at the Ka’aba in Saudi Arabia staged a human-chain demonstration against the war crimes trial.
Pro-BNP Daily Amar Desh published a photo of the ceremony to change Ghilaf-e-Ka’baa but under the caption, ‘Imams form human chain against oppression of Alems’.
Dainik Sangram, the mouthpiece of Jamaat-e-Islami, also ran the news.
Storms of protests on Facebook and in blogs had forced the two Bangladesh dailies to remove the reports.
‘Ganajagaran Mancha’ have been demanding justice against the incessant publications by certain publications which they say have been vastly active in misinforming readers about the movement.
When asked about when these measures will be taken the Law Minister said, “Measures will be taken against slander on religion in mass media or any other medium.”
About the false news published on alems from Ka’baa the state minister for law Qamrul Islam said, ‘The Dhaka Deputy Commissioner has been directed to take measures against the offenders’.
The Home Minister said, two ‘alems’ will be included in the committee to find bloggers ‘offensive’ to religion.
The Ministers avoided answering the question that asked why representatives of other religion were not incorporated in the committee.
Two tribunals have been formed to try cyber crimes in Dhaka and Chittagong. A judge has already been appointed in Dhaka, said the Law Minister.
Changes are being brought to section 297 of the penal code to increase punishment for those who are accused of hurting religious sentiments.
Presently the code allows maximum penalty of two years imprisonment for offenders in this category.
