Security beefed up across the country

Security has been beefed up across the country following Sunday's series bombings in Sri Lanka that left nearly 300 people dead.

Additional policemen were deployed to strengthen surveillance in key establishments, diplomatic area and religious establishments. Security at all airports of the country has been enhanced, airport officials and police said.

Several checkpoints have been set up on city roads since Sunday. Law enforcers were seen checking vehicles at key points, as Shab-e-Barat and Easter Sunday were celebrated across the country.

However, Sohel Rana, assistant inspector general at police headquarters, in a message on Sunday, said there is no threat of sabotage following the spate of attacks in Sri Lanka.

Talking to journalists in Cumilla on Sunday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Bangladesh's security forces remain alert to tackle any untoward incident.

“People of our country believe in brotherhood. It is a country of communal harmony. We don't want to see any attack at churches, mosques or temples in our country,” the home minister said.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali yesterday said the government is committed to ensure safety and security of both international and local tourists across the country.

He made the remark while addressing the concluding session of a familiarisation trip of foreign journalists in Bangladesh at a city hotel.

Bangladesh Tourism Board organised the tour where 26 journalists, travel writers and tour operators from the USA, the UK, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Lebanon, China, South Korea and Japan are visiting tourist attractions of Bangladesh.

The state minister urged the visiting foreign journalists to promote tourism in Bangladesh through their respective newspapers, magazines and television channels upon returning home.

In another development, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) sent security instructions to all international and domestic airports of the country, a top official of Aviation Security (Avsec) told The Daily Star.

The CAAB directive came after the incident in Sri Lanka, he said.

Group Captain Abdullah Al Farooq, director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, sat in a meeting with Avsec, Rapid Action Battalion, Airport Armed Police Battalion, city Special Branch of police and other intelligence agencies on Sunday, said a top official of Avsec. 

At the meeting, different intelligence agencies opined that they have no information on security threats at the moment, the Avsec official, who attended the meeting, added.