In a statement from his press wing, Yunus calls on all citizens to restore complete law and order immediately and to ensure that there are no further attacks on properties associated with the family of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and politicians of the fascist Awami League party or against any citizen on any pretext.
The anger of the activists who have attacked properties is understandable because they and their relatives and friends lived through years of tyranny under Hasina, said the statemen dThese comments from Yunus came today in the context attacks by protestors on Wednesday and Thursday when they torched and tore down Sheikh Mujib’s residence on Dhanmondi road 32.
The houses of Awami League leaders were also attacked and torched, and murals and busts of the founding president of Bangladesh, popularly known as Bangabandhu, were demolished and defaced in over two dozen districts.
On Thursday, the interim government in another statement said that said the “vandalism” at Dhanmondi 32 on Wednesday was “unexpected and undesirable”.
The incident was a manifestation of anger triggered by Sheikh Hasina’s provocative remarks against the July uprising, said the statement.
“The government understands the activists’ sense of outrage that even from her refuge in New Delhi Hasina continues to try to mobilise her militants to hamper Bangladesh’s recovery from her years of abuse,” today’s statement said.
Nonetheless, the government appeals to the citizens to abide by law to show the world that Bangladesh is a nation that respects of the rule of law.
“Respecting the rule of law is what differentiates the new Bangladesh we are working together to build from the old Bangladesh under the fascist regime. Let us not undermine Bangladeshis’ sense of security and stability; any disregard for the law endangers the lives and property of citizens”.
“For the citizens who rose up and overthrew the Hasina regime in July and August to realise their dreams for the country, it is imperative to prove to ourselves and our friends around the world that our commitment to our principles – respecting one another’s civil and human rights and acting under the law – is unshakable”.
Champions of a just new Bangladesh must never act in ways that likens, even as perception, the behaviour of today’s institutions and those of the ousted autocrats, it added.
“Our security forces are aware of this imperative. The government is working with the country’s security forces to preserve law and order and to protect the lives and property of all Bangladeshis.
“If any attempt is made to destabilize the country through any kind of provocative activities, law enforcement agencies will immediately take strict action against anyone acting to create chaos and anarchy, which emphatically includes the destruction of property. The government will bring the responsible individuals and groups to justice,” it said.
