No decision yet on declaring public holiday on 15 August: Home affairs adviser

No decision has been taken yet regarding declaring 15 August, the National Mourning Day, as a public holiday, Home Affairs Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain said today (13 August).

"No decision has been taken yet. I can't tell right now. This afternoon, we will sit down and have a discussion about it, and then we will determine," he told reporters after visiting students, injured from recent violence, who are currently under treatment at the BGB Hospital in Pilkhana.

There will be a large number of police deployed on 15 August, the home affairs adviser further said.

"So that no one can create any kind of chaos. We will take all security measures. There will be police, BGB, and RAB. The army might also be there."

Regarding the police resuming, he said everyone is joining. 

"Next Thursday, I will be able to tell how many people have come in and how many have not." 

The police have been demonised, and those who were responsible for doing so will be  prosecuted under international law, he also said.

He also urged all to remain patient in the process of restoring law and order, stating that there are several processes involved in taking government action. 

He also said the security forces will not obey any orders of the government. 

Addressing the students, the adviser said, "No one can take away your movement. This movement has an image. And the police are remorseful.

Remarking that some words reported by the media could be misconstrued, he said, "I am sorry if you misunderstood what I said."

Regarding the submission of weapons taken from police stations, the home affairs adviser said, "I have asked all to return the weapons. If you are caught not submitting, you will be punished in two ways. You will be charged with robbery with a prohibited weapon and also possession of a prohibited weapon. So, if you can't come in yourself out of fear, submit it to someone else."