Rumour-mongers to be brought to book
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday warned that those who are engaged in circulating propaganda and rumours on Facebook will be brought to book.
“We have identified people who are spreading propaganda and rumours on Facebook, and we only need two days to nab them,” Kamal said in reply to a question at a dialogue organised by the Secretariat Reporters’ Forum at the Secretariat in Dhaka.
Forum president Tapan Biswas chaired the dialogue while it’s general secretary Shamim Ahmed was the moderator.
The home minister made the remark weeks after the clash in Bhola that left four people dead and over hundred injured. Zealots clashed with police in Borhanuddin upazila of the district over “hate conversation” spread through Facebook and its messenger.
“People spreading such rumours have a motive. I am warning them to refrain from such activities,” ‘Kamal said, calling upon people not to believe the rumours.
The minister called upon Facebook users to publish posts based on evidence and expected responsible behaviour on social media.
The minister further said the militant group “Allahr Dal” will be banned soon.
In September, police sent a list of 33 militant outfits -- including Allahr Dal and “Neo-JMB” -- to home ministry to ban their activities.
On August 28, Rapid Action Battalion arrested four members of the group from the capital.
They were allegedly collecting funds by misinterpreting religion and used it for militancy, said law enforcers.
In reply to a query on taking action against Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan Papon, the minister said he watched the video of the BCB president in a casino outside Bangladesh.
“As our constitution has prohibited it, we are taking action against gamblers in the country,” he said.
“It’s not that only one or two persons are gambling. If we started going after everyone who has participated in gambling, we’ll have to go after lakhs of people,” the minister added.
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