Ministers don't always rely on police

When it came to their own security, a minister and a state minister on Sunday expressed their lack of confidence in the police.
The two sought "help" from the leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League seeing a large number of pro-BNP activists at the Jatiya Press Club.
BCL sources said the duo requested the top leaders of BCL, a pro-Awami League student body, to send some of their men to the Press Club as the ministers were feeling "insecure" in front of the opposition men.
“On instructions from our high command, around 40 of our leaders and activists rushed to the spot from the Dhaka University campus,” a central committee leader of BCL told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.
“We cannot always rely on the police,” the minister was quoted as saying by another central BCL leader who questioned him as to why he was seeking assistance from the student organisation instead of the police.
The minister and the state minister went to the Press Club to address a discussion, the BCL leader said.
There was a big gathering in front of the Press Club of the leaders and activists of BNP and pro-BNP student body -- Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal -- at the time.
“The ministers felt insecure as the gathering of opposition members was bigger than those of the pro-Awami League ones,” said the BCL leader.
Around 10 leaders and 30 activists of the BCL then attended the discussion at the request of the minister and the state minister.
“Using the members of a student body for ministers' security is unfortunate,” a joint general secretary of BCL, who also went to "secure" the ministers, said.