Staff Correspondent

Foreign Minister and Joint General Secretary of Awami League Hasan Mahmud on Friday said every incident of recent attacks and sabotage will be investigated to deliver justice but the genuine students will not be harassed.

"Those who killed the personal secretary of Gazipur ex-mayor Jahangir and the police in Dhaka, those who hanged their bodies, threw Chhatra League activists from the six-storey building in Chattogram, burnt public and private properties will not be spared,” he said.

“I have seen the footage of vandalism and arson on BTV. Those who carried out these attacks will not be spared from legal actions."

Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion against anti-state, anti-liberation, terrorism and anarchy at the Jatiya Press Club, Hasan also said that many people were prosecuted after the sabotage in 2013-14, some escaped through the loopholes of the law.

"That won't happen this time. Every attacker will be brought to justice," said the Awami League leader.

He said attacks on the state were ordered by BNP's Tarique Rahman and his voice recording has come to the hands of the government.

"If you carry out a big attack, get a big post. Break the curfew, if not, leave the post," Hasan quoted Tarique as saying.

The foreign minister said another BNP leader urged his party men to enter the movement and create anarchy.

They are the ones who have given the confessional statement that Tk5,000 will be given if a Chhatra League activist is killed, and Tk10,000 if a policeman is killed, Hasan said, posing a question, "Is this any political party? It is an anti-state terrorist organisation."

Highlighting the recent sabotage, he said Bangladesh Television was established in 1964 but in the last 60 years, BTV has never been attacked.

"Some officials of BTV were killed during the War of Liberation. But there was never an attack on BTV."

He said they vandalised the Department of Disaster Management where people go during a disaster.

"The pride of Dhaka residents and countrymen - metro rail - has been set on fire. Foreign ambassadors, high commissioners' IDs were hacked and false messages were posted."

Regarding the quota in government jobs, Hasan said they have said from the very beginning that it will be resolved through the court.

"Finally it happened. The students got more than what they asked for. If the students had a little patience, the BNP-Jamaat would not have got this opportunity. And I firmly believe that no ordinary student can kill people or attack people and state property."

He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has assured that no student will be harassed. "But you need to remain careful so that no one can use you for their ill motives and purposes."

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Mohibbur Rahman said those who commit terrorism and anarchy are against the state and the Liberation War. "The time has come to build a united resistance against them."

Awami League leader MA Karim presided over the discussion.

Former Dhaka University vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, Jatiya Press Club President Farida Yasmin, Shahadat Hossain Toyel, and Awlad Hossain also spoke.