Govt to step up upazila security

With the country hit hard by nonstop blockade, the government is going to form law and order committees at the upazila level.

The existing district law and order committees will be reconstituted with inclusion of more leaders from the Awami League-led 14-party alliance.

The home ministry will issue an order tomorrow to form and reshuffle the committees, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan told The Daily Star yesterday.

The upazila committees will be headed by upazila nirbahi officers, he added.

The ministry made the move hours after the 14-party alliance in a meeting with the state minister recommended reconstitution of the district law and order committees. On Tuesday, the combine announced forming “political terrorism prevention committees” at upazilas, unions and wards.

The district committees will guide the local administration to improve law and order by strengthening the drives against violence and arson.

The 14-party committees will create public awareness against criminal activities, resist BNP-Jamaat pickets from carrying out arson attacks, identify and hand them over to law enforcers.

The state minister at the meeting briefed the alliance leaders about government measures to maintain law and order and sought their help in this regard, said meeting sources.

The committees of 14-party combine would identify criminals and hand them over to nearest police stations, the minister told the meeting at the AL president's Dhanmondi office.

The meeting also decided to hold rallies, launch a mass contact programme and conduct road marches to create public awareness against violence by BNP-Jamaat.  

In the first phase, the ruling alliance will hold rallies at Mithapukur of Rangpur tomorrow and at Palashbari of Gaibandha the following day.

The BNP-led 20-party alliance on January 6 enforced an indefinite blockade of roads, rail and waterways across the country demanding fresh national polls under a non-party administration.

SPECIAL CONTROL ROOM

The home ministry is going to set up a special control room to monitor law and order round the clock. It will collect information and take instant actions to make sure the law and order is normal, said sources.

The ministry had opened a similar monitoring cell before the January 5 parliamentary polls last year. The AL also had formed “terrorism resistance committees” at the grassroots to resist violent protests by the then BNP-led opposition alliance.

Speaking in parliament on March 7, 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had called upon people to form committees to resist violence. The Cabinet Division then issued a notification to all divisional and deputy commissioners to form “terrorism resistance committees”.

The then BNP-led 18-party combine announced forming “committees for public safety to resist attacks by law enforcers and AL cadres”.