Acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Maulana ATM Masum has issued the following statement on 16th May, 2022 protesting and condemning the unjust arrest of Jamaat’s Dinajpur South organizational district’s working committee member Hafizul Islam and Birampur Upazila secretary Abul Bashar.
Police has arrested Dinajpur South organizational district’s working committee member Hafizul Islam from his working place and Birampur Upazila secretary Abul Bashar from his home. I am vehemently protesting and condemning these arrest incidents.
While the Jamaat leaders and activists across the country are demonstrating protesting against the price hike of cooking oil and other essential commodities, police are creating obstruction and arresting Jamaat men indiscriminately. It is the constitutionally guaranteed right of every citizen to arrange and take part in all events which are related to the public interest. Interfering with that right is unconstitutional. The prime responsibility of the law enforcers is to resist criminal activities. But instead of such action, the government is using the police forces to subdue the opponent’s programs and consequently turned this force into its subservient forces. But they can not thwart the public rights by continuing such repression and tortures. We are calling upon to stop such a crackdown.
I am urging my fellow countrymen to raise their voices unitedly against the incumbent autocratic government. Besides, I am calling upon the concerned authorities to stop repression and also to release Hafizul Islam, Abul Bashar ad all other detained political leaders and activists immediately.