Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the BNP-Jamaat
and Shibir carried out the nationwide mayhem to undermine the country's
development alongside tarnishing its image abroad, calling upon the countrymen
to help arrest the culprits involved in the havoc and bring them to justice.
"They, who are involved in such incidents, must have to be identified by
searching every nook and cranny of the country, where they are staying. I am
seeking support from the countrymen to identify them and expose them to
justice," she said after paying a visit to the BTV Bhaban at Rampura in
the city to inspect the rampage carried out there on Thursday.
The Prime Minister said the BNP-Jamaat carried out nationwide arson terrorism
and vandalism in 2013 in which they set fire on 3,800 vehicles, 29 trains and
eight launches and this time they launched a massive destruction across the
country from July 17, 2024 morning by cashing in on the quota reform movement.
"But, the characteristic of setting ablaze this time is different compared
to the prior ones. They, this time used gunpowder in setting fire and
everything was gutted to ashes at a while," she said.
Giving
a grim picture of the mayhem launched by the BNP-Jamaat, Sheikh Hasina said on
the one side they had attacked, damaged and set fire on the government
establishments and on the other hand they killed police personnel, journalists,
common people and Awami League (AL) leaders and activists.
The
anarchists had killed seven activists of Chhatra League, the student wing of
the ruling AL, in Chattogram, hanged policemen and an AL activist after killing
them, she said, adding that they threw several Chhatra League men from a
six-storey building and cut veins of hands and legs of many others centering
the quota movement, she said.
Sheikh
Hasina continued that the perpetrators also searched houses to find out police
personnel and the leaders and activists of the Awami League in the capital
city's Jatrabari area.
The Prime Minister said she had built government establishments with hard works
at days and nights for the welfare of the country and its people.
"I
have built every organisation through day-night hard work. For whom? For the
people of the country. These are working for the betterment of the people and
their livelihoods," she said.
The massive destruction was carried to malign the country's development as well
as its image abroad, she opined.
"Today, Bangladesh goes one step ahead towards prosperity and achieved the
status of a developing country. The rampage was carried out to undermine the
achievement. They want to ruin everything," Sheikh Hasina said.
The
Prime Minister without mentioning the name of Tarique Zia, said he from London
has asked Bangladeshis residing abroad to carry out movements against the
government aimed at tarnishing the country's image abroad and jeopardizing
overseas employment of lakhs of Bangladeshis.
"The
matter of grief is that one staying London asked Bangladeshis to wage
movement," she said, adding that three BNP leaders were arrested in London
while 57 Bangladeshis in the UAE, three of whom were given life term
imprisonment and 20 in Saudi Arabia on charges of bring out processions.
Sheikh
Hasina has cleared her stance over her remarks saying that she never told the
agitating students Razakar.
"I
didn't call the students Razakar, my comment was distorted," she added.
The
students themselves called Razakar through chanting slogans, "Who are you?
Who am I? Razakar, Razakar," the Prime Minister said.
Sheikh Hasina said she equipped the state-owned television with the
latest technologies including cameras after coming to power for the first time
in 1996 and modernised the television centre further assuming power for the
second time in 2009.
"But
now the people of Bangladesh are witnessing the terrible scenes like the
infernal devastations committed by Pakistani occupation forces in 1971,"
she said.
Sheikh
Hasina said even the Pakistani occupation forces didn't attack on the
television. But today torched this television and damaged it so badly that
nothing was spared from destruction, she said.
"Who
are they? Are they the people of this country? Were they born in this country
who carried out these attacks with an intention to destroy the country?"
Sheikh Hasina said.
They
also destroyed metro-rail, which is a pride for every Bangladeshi.
The prime minister was seen disappointed and unhappy after witnessing the
magnitude of devastation in the BTV Bhaban. She was also spotted looking
teary-eyed while the air had become heavy as BTV officials were trying to hold
back their tears after seeing the wreckage of devastation at the BTV Bhaban.
State
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat was present
during the PM's visit.
Cabinet
Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, Principal Secretary Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain
Miah, Information and Broadcasting Senior Secretary Md Humayun Kabir Khandaker
and PM's Speech Writer M Nazrul Islam, among others, were present.
High officials including its Director General Dr Md Jahangir Alam gave a brief
description of the rampage in the BTV Bhaban.
The
Prime Minister was seen consoling the crying General Manager of BTV Mahfuza
Akter.
A
video presentation on the vandalism in BTV Headquarters and BTV Bhaban was also
screened.
In the afternoon of July 18, miscreants in large numbers entered the BTV Bhaban by breaking its main gate.
They first set fire on several vehicles parked at the BTV Bhaban and later went to its inside and damaged and torched various sections on different floors.
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) took control of the BTV on Thursday night.
The premier visited the BTV Bhaban, a day after she visited the damaged
Mirpur-10 Metrorail Station on Wednesday morning.
According to the available statistics provided by the BTV, the rampage left
havoc in the BTV's various infrastructures, broadcasting equipment, design
section, office building and rooms.