Speedy trial of militants sought

Speakers at a discussion yesterday stressed the need for expeditiously trying militant suspects within the shortest possible time and for prosecutors to provide convincing arguments before judges so that the suspects were refused bail and kept in jails till end of the trials.

The government should enact a relevant law, if necessary, said the speakers, including teachers, lawyers, journalists, dignitaries of other professions and religious leaders, in the capitals' Brac Centre Inn.

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Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat (AMJ) organised the discussion on “The rise of militancy and what the civil society should do.”

Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu said Bangladesh was now experiencing a war against militancy and Bangladeshis would have to struggle and win.

He, like some other speakers, advocated for extrajudicial killings of one or two militants but said it would not be enough to stop the rise of militancy in Bangladesh.

He claimed that Bangladesh's history of civilisation dated back some 3,000 years and that the country would not survive if its people suffer a defeat in the war against militancy.

Lambasting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and the party's prime partner Jamaat-e-Islami in the BNP-led 20-party alliance, the minister alleged that arsonists who were active during the anti-government movement of 2015 had carried out the July 1 Gulshan cafe attack. He bitterly criticised Khaleda for allegedly patronising militancy. 

Inu lambasted those who were calling some private universities breeding hubs of militancy, reasoning that several former and current students of North South University had been linked to the Gulshan and July 7 Sholakia attacks.

He claimed that the Gulshan attack had embarrassed the government. “The attack was a big blow for us. But the wheel of development will not be stopped in any way,” he said.

Security analyst Maj Gen (retd) Abdur Rashid said the government should seriously work to prevent militant suspects from getting bail. He also emphasised preventing the spread of hate speeches in society.

AMJ Publicity in Charge, Bangladesh chapter Abdul Awal said firstly everyone should properly portray religion among children and family members.

He also stressed the need for clamping down on militants' source of funds and arms as well as to keep strong vigilance on militant leaders and activists.

Journalist, writer and a member of Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, Shahriar Kabir, demanded banning Jamaat and its associate organisations.