Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury of the interim government has alleged that efforts are being made from a neighbouring country to create unrest in Bangladesh.
He claimed that the effigy of the Chief Adviser displayed during Durga Puja celebrations in India and the depiction of a demon with a beard in Bangladesh are “interconnected acts driven by the same motive.”
The Adviser made the statements while speaking at a press briefing following a meeting of the Core Committee on Law and Order at the Secretariat on Sunday afternoon.
Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said, “The effigy of the Chief Adviser made during Durga Puja in the neighbouring country and the depiction of a demon with a beard here are part of the same plot. Through these acts, fascist collaborators and external actors are attempting to instigate chaos in Bangladesh.”
The adviser’s remarks came amid recent unrest in Khagrachhari over allegations that a hill teenager had been gang-raped. The incident sparked protests and tension in the district. However, the district administration withdrew Section 144 on Saturday from Khagrachhari Sadar and Guimara upazilas, eight days after it was imposed to prevent further violence.
Addressing the incident, he stated, “The uproar surrounding the alleged rape has been blown out of proportion. The medical report did not find any evidence of rape. With the cooperation of the public, we have been able to handle the situation smoothly and effectively.”
Earlier, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury had also suggested that there might be Indian involvement in the violent incidents in Khagrachhari.
New Delhi, however, has dismissed the allegation as “false and baseless.”
During a press briefing on Friday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected the claim when a journalist asked about the Bangladeshi adviser’s remarks, asserting that India had no involvement in the unrest.
Courtesy: Daily Sun
Bp-pratidin English/TR
