Dhaka, the new sin city!
In the wake of crackdown on casinos in the capital, BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan yesterday alleged that the government has turned Dhaka into a city of casinos like Las Vegas, USA.
“We earlier heard that Bangladesh would be upgraded to a developed country like Singapore. I want to say that the government went a step above and turned Dhaka into a city like Las Vegas,” he said.
Dr Moyeen, a BNP standing committee member, came up with the remarks while speaking at a human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club. Doctors Association of Bangladesh organised the event, demanding release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
On Wednesday, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) raided some clubs in the city, detained and sentenced at least 182 people in connection with running casinos, gambling and drug abuse, and sealed off at least two clubs.
They also arrested Jubo League Dhaka South Organising Secretary Khalid Mahmud Bhuiyan from his Gulshan home for running a casino at a football club in Fakirerpool. His arrest came after a Rab mobile court detained and sentenced 142 people, raiding the casino in Fakirerpool Youngmen’s Club and seized some blackjack tables, slot machines, Tk 24.29 lakh in cash, yaba pills, and some bottles of alcohol.
At yesterday’s human chain, Dr Moyeen said Dhaka was built around 400 years back during Mughal era, and later it earned the name of “the city of mosques”; but that city now has become a “city of casinos”.
“The government says they’ve transformed Bangladesh into a middle-income country. If Dhaka becomes like Las Vegas due to that transformation, I’ve no idea what the city will be like when the country becomes a developed one,” the BNP leader quipped.
He alleged that the government has fooled people with its false and deceitful remarks about the country’s development.
Stating that Bangladesh was liberated mainly for two reasons -- establishment of democracy and attainment of people’s economic emancipation, Dr Moyeen said instead of democracy, a “one-party autocratic rule” has been established while the capital has become the “Sin City”.
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