Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman has said the family of Miraj Sheikh, who was allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance in Mongla, will get justice.
The minister made the remarks at a views-exchange meeting with local lawmakers, government officials and representatives of different professions at the Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner’s office on Tuesday afternoon.
Referring to the allegation of Miraj’s disappearance, Asaduzzaman said the government was investigating the case with due importance and caution.
“This is a case of an alleged enforced disappearance. We are continuing the investigation with utmost caution and giving it the highest importance. We do not want Miraj Sheikh’s family to be deprived of justice,” he said.
He said the family had received legal assistance from the Legal Aid Unit of the Law Ministry after some of its members were arrested in a case filed over alleged vandalism of government property while protesting Miraj’s disappearance.
“We stood beside Miraj Sheikh’s family and helped secure their bail. His sister is here today. The case will proceed according to law. We want to serve people within the legal framework,” he said.
The minister said granting or rejecting bail was solely a matter for the court and warned against attempts to influence the process through mob justice.
“If anyone tries to secure or prevent bail through mob justice, strict action will be taken against them,” he said.
Asaduzzaman also said the government is maintaining a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs and warned that influential people would not be spared if they were found involved in drug syndicates.
“The masterminds of drug syndicates are still remaining beyond the reach of law. Drugs are being brought through border areas using drones. Drugs cannot be part of any business,” he said.
He urged people from all sections of society to work together to combat drug abuse, describing it as a social disease.
“If any leader is behind such activities, we are warning them as well,” he said.
The minister accused the previous government of carrying out enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings for political reasons.
He alleged that over the past 17 years, people associated with the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami were targeted, detained and killed without trial, with such deaths being described as “crossfire”.
He also claimed that more than six lakh people faced politically motivated “ghost cases” during the period, with police acting as complainants in 99 per cent of them.
“We are trying to put an end to the practice of police filing cases to harass political opponents,” he said.
The minister said the current government had brought enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings down to “zero”.
“The party that suffered the most under the Awami mafia rule is now in charge of the state. There will be no compromise on justice,” he said.
He added that anyone accused of a crime would have the opportunity to appear before the court, saying the judiciary was now functioning independently.
Speaking about the law and order situation in Bagerhat, Asaduzzaman said several murders had taken place in the district and instructed law enforcement agencies to bring those accused to justice.
“We are against terrorism. We have told the law enforcement agencies to bring anyone against whom there are allegations under the law, no matter how powerful they are,” he said.
He also warned against political interference in criminal cases.
“If any powerful BNP leader tries to protect an accused, a zero-tolerance policy must be maintained against that as well,” he said.
“People cannot commit murder and roam freely while the public thinks that nothing happens even when someone kills another person. The police are not so weak. The law will take its own course,” he added.
The meeting was chaired by Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Golam Md Baten.
Bagerhat-1 MP Mashiur Rahman Khan, Bagerhat-4 MP Md Abdul Alim, Khulna Range DIG Md Mostafizur Rahman, Bagerhat District Council Administrator Barrister Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain, Police Superintendent Hasan Mohammad Naser Rikabdar and Civil Surgeon ASM Mahbubul Alam attended the meeting.
Bagerhat district BNP leaders, including convenor ATM Akram Hossain Talim and member secretary Mozzaffar Rahman Alam, as well as officials of different government departments and representatives of various professions, were also present.
Earlier in the morning, the minister held a meeting with judicial officers of different levels at the conference room of the district judge’s court.
In the afternoon, he attended a separate meeting with BNP leaders, including elected reserved-seat MPs, parliamentary candidates and presidents and general secretaries of district and upazila units and affiliated organisations.
