Not our concern who said what: Home minister rejects EU statement on national election

Rejecting the European Union's (EU) statement regarding the last national election, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal today (9 March) said the election campaign had been fair.

"BNP is misleading foreigners by spreading propaganda in various ways...No one was wrongfully arrested...It is not our concern who said what," he said after journalists drew attention to the EU's recent report regarding the last national polls. He was attending a programme organised on the occasion of Police Memorial Day 2024 at the Police Staff College Convention Hall in Dhaka's Mirpur on Saturday.

This report was produced by the European Union Election Expert Mission to Bangladesh and presented the mission's findings on the 7 January parliamentary election.

The executive summary of the report said, "Overall, the 2024 parliamentary election in Bangladesh did not meet some key international standards for democratic elections. Civil and political rights, including the freedoms of assembly, association, movement, and speech essential for inclusive and competitive elections, were restricted. Opposition political parties' activities were severely limited by judicial proceedings and mass arrests."

In response to the question, the home minister said that "police forces and our political party have not carried out any attack or case. They (BNP) did it. If they are trying to slander us, we reject such statements. We think they are, on purpose, trying to come up with another conspiracy," the Home Minister said.

Replying to another question, the home minister said that the BNP is continuously spreading false information. "How they (international organisations) are confused is not our concern. We can clearly say, it did not happen in the country as they said."

"All countries except one or two have lauded us. They feel that the new government has been formed in the country through a fair election process," he said.

"BNP said that there are thousands of prisoners. We have no 'Rajbondi' here. We have BNP activists imprisoned… those who vandalised the Chief Justice's residence, beat up police to death, beat up Ansar personnel to death, and laid hands on females. They were identified through video footage, and action was taken as per law," he said.

Referring to BNP's acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, the minister said that Tarique went to the UK after signing an undertaking that he would stay out of politics.

The home minister said, "From sitting in England, he is trying to control his party's politics in this country. He does not want the good of the people of this country and his party's leaders and activists."

Chaired by IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the programme was also attended, among others, by Senior Secretary of the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry, Mostafizur Rahman; RAB Director General M Khurshid Hossain; additional IGPs, heads of various units of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, senior police officers; and family members of the policemen who sacrificed their lives.

The home minister, senior secretary, and IGP presented mementoes and gifts to the families of the seven policemen who laid down their lives in the line of duty. The IGP personally inquired about the family members of the policemen.

A total Of 134 policemen sacrificed their lives in the line of duty in 2023. They include three additional superintendents of police, one assistant superintendent of police, eight inspectors of police (unarmed or armed), 12 sub-inspectors (unarmed), two sub-inspectors (armed), one sergeant, one TSI, 16 ASI (unarmed or armed), three Naik, and 87 constables.

It is to be noted that since 2017, Police Memorial Day is been celebrated every year on March 1 in remembrance of the policemen who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. This year, police memorial day was celebrated on March 9 instead of March 1 due to unavoidable reasons.