Violent attacks and wanton destruction – carried out under the guise of quota reform movement – had been planned to weaken the police, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner, also Detective Branch (DB) Chief Harun-or-Rashid.
Addressing a press conference at his office on Friday after the arrest of six people in connection with the killing of two policemen, Harun said, “BNP-Jamaat had tried many times to oust democratic governments illegally or make the country ineffective.
“But because of the police, they have repeatedly failed. This is why they have targeted the police. During the quota reform movement, students were used as shields to target the state institutions and police. They went to Jatrabari Shanir Akhra, Rayerbag area and targeted the police. They also announced a Tk 10,000 bounty for killing police personnel.”
Awami League (AL) General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would take responsibilities for the families of the people killed in recent nationwide mayhem.
“A committee has been formed to try the killings and terrorist activities after investigations and every culprit would be brought to book,” he said while addressing a coordination meeting with the ward leaders of AL Dhaka North unit at Awami League district office in capital Tejgaon.
At the beginning, Quader prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved families. He also sought early recovery of the injured people.
Traffic in Dhaka is still affected by road closures and the lack of public transportation.
Despite moderate traffic in general, commuters are still having difficulty getting to their jobs, with the closure of the metro rail and elevated expressway on Thursday.
The metro rail and the elevated expressway have been shut down due to the damage caused during the recent clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies over the last few days. As a result, pressures on city streets have increased, causing intense traffic congestion on major roads.
Low passenger turnout in Sadarghat After being closed for five consecutive days, vessel operations have resumed from the capital main river port, Sadarghat Launch Terminal. However, the presence of people in the terminal area remains limited. On Thursday afternoon, a visit to the Sadarghat terminal and pontoon area revealed that a dozen launches destined for Barisal, Bhola, Chandpur, and Noakhali routes are waiting for passengers. There is a noticeable presence of passengers on the Chandpur route launches, but the other route launches have very few passengers.