Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the government wants to maintain academic atmosphere in all the educational institutions of the country and will not tolerate any act of unjust and injustice.
“Our message is very clear…we won’t tolerate any act of unjust and injustice. We never did that in past and won’t do either in the future. We’ll take action against whoever will commit any act of unjust and injustice. The academic atmosphere must be maintained in all the educational institutions,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while addressing the second national council of Mohila Sramik League at Krishibid Institution Auditorium in the city.
Referring to the recent murder of Abrar Fahad on Buet campus, she said the government always sees the killers as killers and oppressors as oppressors. “Once I received the information (Abrar’s murder, I right away directed the police to arrest the culprits.”
She also raised question about the lingering of the movement by Buet students even after accepting their 10-point demand by the Buet Vice Chancellor.
Sheikh Hasina, also the chief of ruling Awami League, mentioned that the incidents of brandishing arms had been the order of the day during Zia, Khaleda and Ershad regimes. “Arms had been handed over to meritorious students at that time,” she added.
She mentioned that no one was put under trial for any killing on any campus. “Only the trial of seven-murder in 1974 had started. But the trials of the killings of students on campuses are being held under Awami League regimes.”
Hasina mentioned the killings of Sadequn Nahar Sony on the Buet campus during the BNP regime. She was killed during an intraparty clash BNP’s Chhatra Dal over capturing tender, she added.
At that time, the Prime Minister said, there was no one to protest that killing. “The Buet Alumni Association didn’t come up…we didn’t see them to protest that killing. But when Awami League is in power, everybody gets the right to speak up…they can speak up as they got the scope,” she said.
Hasina strongly criticized those opposing the MoUs signed with India recently and said the country’s interests are always upheld whenever Awami League remains in power.
“Some vested quarters are out to criticise the government particularly over LPG export and signing an MoU on water with New Delhi,” she said.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh will export LPG to India after its import.
About the water sharing of the 140-km long Feni River, she said both Bangladesh and India have this river along the border and both the countries have the equal right to its water use.
Of the total length, the river has a 100-km bordering area and of that 40 kilometres are in Bangladesh which go through Feni, Songazi and Chhagolnaia areas.
Talking about social equality, Hasina said her government has been able to establish equal rights for men and women in society.
She, however, asked the leaders and workers of Mohila Sramik League to go to rural Bangladesh and find out whether there is any disparity between and irregularity against women at the grassroots level.
“Women have to create their own spaces in society…they’ve to build themselves through obtaining proper education,” she said. Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, Mohila Sramik League general secretary Shamsunnahar Bhuiyan also spoke at the event held with Mohila Sramik League president Begum Rawshan Jahan Sathi in the chair.
Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the council through hoisting the national flag amid the playing of the national anthem and realising doves.
Mohila Sramik League president and general secretary jointly hoisted the organizational flag.
At the outset of the programme, a one-minute silence was observed for the martyrs of the Language Movement, Liberation War and August 15 brutal assassination.
Earlier, the first national council of the trade union federation was held on March 29, 2004.
