Govt enacted DSA to cling to power: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said that government enacted the Digital Security Act (DSA) to stay in power.

"This government is not the government of the people, this government staying in power illegally by stealing votes at night before the election, so this government has made the Digital Security Act to stay in power," he said.

The BNP leader commented that the law has deprived the public of their right to speak and write.

Mirza Fakhrul was speaking at the protest rally, organised by the BNP Dhaka Metropolitan South unit in front of the National Press Club against defamation to party founder Ziaur Rahman, the decision of revoking his title, the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed and journalist Mujakkir and for the abolishment of the act.

Fakhrul alleged that around 700 people have already been tortured under this law. "Cartoonist Ahmed Kishore is one of them. We want the repeal of this black law, we want justice for the murder of writer Mushtaq Ahmed, we want justice for the murder of the journalist (Mujakkir)," he added.

He further said, "A false case had kept BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in jail and there are false cases also against Tarique Rahman."

BNP Secretary General urged the government to revoke the cases against 35 lakh activists of the party and to free Khaleda Zia.

He also demanded the resignation of the election commission and elections under a neutral authority.

Photo: TBS

BNP Joint Secretary General Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel said, "Half of Dhaka's police have been deployed to disrupt today's rally. Police have surrounded the rally from all sides and not allowing a single leader or activist to attend."

Addressing the government, BNP chairperson's advisor Amanullah Aman said, "We want to tell the government one thing that oppression and deprivation of the people's right to speak will not save you."

Additional police forces have been deployed around the Press Club area to avert any untoward situation.