Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Thursday asked her party leaders and workers to strengthen area-wise vigilance and hold peace meetings to maintain communal harmony.
“Communal harmony will have to be maintained by ensuring intensified area- wise vigilance by our leaders and activists alongside arranging meetings and processions of peace to ensure co-existence as no violence occurs,” she said.
The premier said this while inaugurating a newly contructed multi-storied Cumilla Awami League office with all the modern facilities joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence here.
She also called upon the countrymen to be respectful to all the religions as citizens of a secular state.
The prime minister called the Cumilla incident “very regretful”, urging the countrymen not to take law in hand.
She said, “If anyone commits crime, our government will definitely bring the culprits to book whoever he or she might be.”
Responding to the demand of formation of a division with Cumilla, she proposed to set up two divisions after the names of “Padma” with Faridpur and its surrounding districts and “Meghna” with Cumilla and its neighbouring districts.
Sheikh Hasina reminded all that every religion is talking about peace and Bangladeshi people are living in a non-communal society over decades where harmony has been prevailing among the followers of every faith.
She said people fought against the Pakistani occupation forces shoulder to shoulder and shed blood irrespective of their caste, creed and religions for the country’s independence responding to the clarion call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“We want that the people of all faiths such as Muslim, Hindu, Boudhha and Christian and all classes will live in the society peacefully with due dignity and honour,” she opined.
The prime minister called upon all to show due respect to other religions as everyone has the similar right to observe religious rites and similarly none has the right to malign other’s religion.
“One has to respect the religion of others alongside showing honour to his own religion. If anyone disrespects another’s religion, he basically dishonors his own religion,” she said.
She said if people analyze the incident of attack on Cumilla Hindu temple, they would find that disrespect has been shown to “our holy Quaran” while trying to dishonor the religion of others, which she termed as the “most regretful matter”.
The prime minister said her government has taken prompt measures to rehabilitate the harmed Hindu community people by giving them temporary shelters, food and other required measures.
She added: “We have arranged tents and dry and cooked foods for the victims immediately following the incidents in Cumilla, Pirganj of Rangpur and other places. We have also provided clothes and treatments to them. We will build their homes and measures to this end have already taken.”
The premier said a section of vested-quarters like the BNP-Jamaat always tries to commit such incident as they do not tolerate the country’s development anymore.
“They (ill-cliques) are out to make their own fate since assuming power after assassination of the Father of the Nation,” she said.
Bangabandhu has dedicated his entire life for the welfare of the people and the nation, she said, adding that being soldiers of the ideal of the Father of the Nation, “you have to devote your life for the people’s wellbeing”.
Sheikh Hasina said that she felt very happy by inaugurating the Cumilla AL office and wanted to establish such kind of office for her party in every district.
The prime minister continued that the Awami League was established at the hand of the Father of the Nation for serving the people and asked her party leaders and workers to stand by the masses in their hardships.
