Acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Maulana ATM Masum has issued the following statement on 26th July, 2024 calling for an end to ongoing torture, propaganda, arrests and police remands across the country.
"It is evidentially clear to the people of Bangladesh and the world that immediate after the boastful remarks of the ministers that Chhatra League is enough to tackle the protesting students, the attacks on the peaceful protestors started all over the country. The people took a stand against the government because of their planned massacres. Army men have been deployed and curfew were subsequently imposed to subdue the public anger. As people of all walks including artists, actors, actresses, makers, producers and intellectuals have taken a stand against the government, so they became disorientated and having no other option they are trying to blame Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatrashibir, and other opposition parties for the state-sponsored anarchies.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said, 'Many people were subjected to violent attacks by the government-affiliated groups and no efforts were made to protect the civilians. The law enforcement agencies have used lethal and mild lethal weapons and resultantly a grim picture emerged, claimed Human Rights Watchdog Amnesty International in a recent press release after scrutinizing all the pictures and videos of the recent events. The press release further said that, from the activities of RAB, it cannot be ascertained whether the agitators' rights will be protected or not. The countrymen feel that the government has started lying and ill-propaganda to cover up their gruesome violence. People cannot be misled by lying anymore.
Maulana ATM Masum also said that the law enforcers are conducting mass arrest and combing operations across the country. Thousands of leaders and activists of opposition parties including Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatrashibir have been arrested and false cases have been filed against them. The activists are being arrested and taken into police remand, and they are also subjected to physical and mental torture. A terrible situation has been created by intimidating the countrymen. We strongly condemn and protest against the government's unjust mass arrests, filing of false cases and ongoing torture drives.
In the statement, he said, the people of the country know very well that the government itself has created an anarchic situation in the country. An essentially non-political peaceful movement has been turned into violence by issuing provocative statements. To suppress the peaceful movement of the students, the government has started a dirty game by implicating the opposition parties with the reported violence. Chhatra League, Jubo League, Sramik League and Awami terrorists have been brought to the field and consequently, mass killings have been initiated in the country. The country's peaceful campuses and streets are stained with blood now. The brutal killings of the young students have left hundreds of mothers shocked and speechless and also made thousands of people maimed. Many students are still missing.
The government is still engaged in misguided efforts to mislead the people by demonstrating crocodile tears and tricky drama in front of the media. The citizens of the country and the people of the world cannot be misled by their false propaganda. The government must bear all responsibility for the violence and be accountable to the people. Every massacre must be accounted for. Awami League will never be able to avoid the responsibility of brutal mass killings.
We want to say the government that there will be no use of threats. All the conspiracies of the government have been exposed. The people of the country have raised their voices of protest. Do not create any further trouble to the citizens of the country. Immediately restore peace in the country without spreading confusion.
I want to urge the law enforcers; you are the servants of the state. It is your responsibility to maintain law and order across the country. It is not your responsibility to work for the ruling party. So, instead of being used as a tool of the oppressor regime, do your duty impartially and arrest the real criminals and hand them over to the court.
We call upon the concerned authorities to stop the mass arrests, withdraw the false cases and also to stop blaming the opposition parties including Jamaat-e-Islami for the violence and accept all the rightful demands of the agitating students and to restore peaceful atmosphere in the country.”