Staff Reporter :
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary has said, although militants in Bangladesh are being identified and jailed, they are not being de-radicalized in prisons.
He made the remarks at the concluding session of the two-day long ‘National Conference of Preventing/Countering Violent Terrorism’ at the International Convention City- Bashundhara (ICCB) in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The IGP urged everyone present, along with the NGOs, to work together for the de-radicalization of militants and extremists.
“We have conducted many raids across the country since 2016, and destroyed militant dens,” he said.
Javed Patwary police have put many of them in prison, but even there, the mindset of the militants is not being amended. “This is something we need to work on sincerely.”
“Even here [the conference], I have not seen a single NGO that works with imprisoned militants to de-radicalize them, therefore you need to initiate programmes for working on this issue,” he said. He further mentioned, “With a goal in mind that says ‘prevention is always better than cure,’ our anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism units are working to create awareness among the people to stop the spread of militancy.”
The IGP said, “We have to plan the rehabilitation of those who are jailed for terrorism and then released. Moreover, motivation for them is essential for eliminating militancy from the country – that can be done most effectively by the country’s religious leaders.
“We have already asked the imams, the religious preachers of mosques, to deliver sermons against drugs, militancy, and terrorism. As a result, those who are at risk of turning towards militancy will no longer be drawn to it after receiving a religious explanation.”
Addressing the event as the chief guest, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal asked all parents to carefully monitor their children and exercise caution, while ensuring that they (kids) are not left feeling lonely and depressed.
Speaking about de-radicalization at the same event, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam said that the religious leaders must play a key role in eradicating militancy, as they are the only ones extremists will listen to and obey them.
He said we have a long way to go in this regard, because the militants are not being corrected even after going to jail. However, he believed that militancy can be prevented in future if everyone works on the issue together.
