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Quader wants govt to act legally against Daily Sangram for calling war criminal 'martyr'

| Updated: December 14, 2019 20:23:54


Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader -- File Photo Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader -- File Photo

Road, transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader wants the government to act legally against the Daily Sangram for running a report describing Jamaat leader and convicted war criminal Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Molla as a ‘martyr’.

 “We’ll talk to the home ministry about this,” he told reporters after paying tribute to the martyred intellectuals on the occasion of the Martyred Intellectuals Day on Saturday.

The evil forces, which attacked freedom fighters, Bengalis and killed intellectuals in 1971, are still spreading poison, he said vowing to prevent and defeat them.

On the war criminals staying abroad, he said, "We are looking into this and action will follow on time," said Quader, also the general secretary of the ruling Awami League, UNB reports.

Earlier in the day, police arrested Abul Asad, editor of Jamaat mouthpiece The Daily Sangram, in a case filed under the Digital Security Act.

They took him in custody on Friday night, as the office of the daily in Dhaka city came under a mob attack over running a report the same day that terms executed war criminal Molla a 'martyr'.

Quoting staff of the Bangla-language daily, local media have reported that Muktijuddho Mancha launched the attack, which the Mancha denied.

Molla, a former assistant secretary of the Jamaat, was executed on December 12, 2013, for the crimes against humanity, including killing of intellectuals during the War of Independence in 1971.

When sentenced to life in prison by the International Crimes Tribunal on February 05 of the year, he flashed a victory sign in a smiling face.

A photograph of this sparked off a massive protest demanding his death sentence.

‘Ganajagaran Mancha’ was later formed to coordinate the protest.

It is widely perceived that it is the protest that made the government amend the war crimes laws allowing  the prosecution to appeal the verdict and seek the death penalty in the Supreme Court.

Following a prosecution appeal, on September 17 of 2013, the top court, finding his sentence too light, enhanced his life sentence to death sentence.

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