Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said the government will discuss whether to turn the open space at Kalabagan Tetul Tola into a police station or allow it to remain a playground, reports bdnews24.com.
The authorities are looking for alternate places to build the police station, but if they are not available, the Kalabagan ground will be used, he suggested.
The minister faced the media at an event in Tejgaon Govt Science College on Monday after the government drew flak following the 13-hour detention of an activist and her son who were campaigning against the construction of the police station.
“In my day, we had lots of opportunities to play, but things have changed now," the minister said. "I feel sorry for the next generation [as they don’t have enough play space]. Rapid urbanisation is the problem. We don’t have enough space now,” he said in response to a question about Tetul Tola ground.
"We must understand that law enforcement agencies play an important role [in society.] Everything will fall apart if we fail to maintain law and order,” he said of the Kalabagan playground.
Asaduzzaman said the Kalabagan Police Station has been making do with an office in a rented building for a long time. The deputy commissioner allocated the ground to Kalabagan Police Station after identifying it as government land. When the authorities completed the procedure and started construction, people demanded the ground remain as a playground, he said.
“The mayor asked us to shift the establishment to another place. It is normal that children would play at a playground. We understand the importance of playgrounds,” he said.
The minister said he told the mayor and others to look for an alternative and they would make a decision after a discussion with everyone if no alternatives are found.
Situated at the southern end of Panthapath, the Tetul Tola ground is a regular play space for local children. Events are also held there on occasion.
Syeda Ratna, a member of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi, led a protest by locals in a bid to save the playground when the authorities announced plans to construct the Kalabagan Police Station.
Locals, especially women, staged protests when police tried to proceed with construction. Though police erected a barbed fence around the ground, Ratna continued to protest.
On Sunday, Ratna was livestreaming her protest on Facebook when police began to construct the demarcating wall. At one point, Ratna and her son were detained and taken to the police station.
Human rights activist Khushi Kabir, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association’s chief executive Syed Rizwana Hasan, Alamgir Kabir and Ain o Salish Kendra’s Senior Coordinator Abu Ahmed Faizul Kabir rushed to Kalabagan Police Station upon receiving the news of Ratna’s detention. Locals also gathered at the station.
After detaining them for 13 hours, police released Ratna and her son on the condition that police are free to take legal action if they resume protests.
The home minister said he was informed about the issue.
“As far as I know, they were spreading some information while livestreaming which had some small inconsistencies. After failing to stop them, the law enforcers took them to the police station for questioning and released them afterward,” he said.