Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday said Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) recently carried out attack on police personnel using the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) as their shield.
“Jatiya Press Club is a neutral national organisation and it is an institution of journalists. It is open for all irrespective of opinions and political parties. So, it is really unaccepted to carry out attacks on police from there,” he said.
Hasan, also the joint general secretary of ruling Awami League, came up with the statement while replying to reporters at his ministry at the secretariat in Dhaka, reports BSS.
Hasan said the JCD men hurled brickbats on police personnel using the JPC as their shield.
“But, there were no stones in the Press Club. They kept those earlier. It cannot be acceptable. We should remain alert against recurrence of such incident,” he added.
He said the question should be raised at first why a journalist of ATN Bangla got injured in the attack of JCD activists.
“Chhatra Dal tried to create anarchy in the country. A vested quarter is trying to fish in the troubled water centring an unexpected incident. Such ill efforts were carried out in the country in the past too,” he added.
About Digital Security Act (DSA), the minister said similar provisions of chapter VI of the act are also in Chapter XI of the Information Technology Act of India and Section 16 of the Protection of Electronic Crimes Act of Pakistan.
He said the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in the United States, the Computer Misuse Act in the United Kingdom, the Electronic Transaction Act in Nepal, the Federal Decree on Law on Combating Cyber Crimes in the United Arab Emirates, the Network Enforcement Act 2017 in Germany, Cyber Security Act 2018 in Singapore are similar to the Bangladesh’s Digital Security Act.
He said these are only few examples of some countries. There are provisions of arrests and punishments for such crimes also in many countries.
“But, like you, I also in favour of remaining careful in using the act,” he said.
Replying to a query over writer Mushtaq Ahmed’s death, the minister said: “We don’t know how he died. A probe-body has been formed to find out the reasons behind the death. It will be revealed in the probe report whether he used any drugs or how he died, or whether there was any negligence of the prison authorities. But, I also feel sad for the death and it is really unacceptable,” he added.