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BD opposition rejects Public Safety bill

DHAKA: The much-talked draft of Public Safety (Special Provision) bill, 2000, which was approved on Monday, January 17, in the weekly meeting of the cabinet has been bitterly criticised by the opposition leaders.

Under the proposed Public Safety Act, 2000, special tribunals would be set up at the district level to hold speedy trials of eight categories of criminal offences. These offences are terrorism, toll collection, mugging, damaging vehicles and government property, obstruction in filling tenders, collection of ransoms through abduction and obstruction in the movement of traffic.

The special tribunals which would be set up under a District Judge, or an Additional Session Judge would complete the trial of the cases in connection with those eight categories of offences within a maximum period of 90 days from the date of framing chargesheet. The special tribunals will have the power to award maximum 14-year sentence if the accused is found guilty for committing any crime of the eight categories of offences.

After the judgement of the special tribunal, the aggrieved party will have the right to appeal before the High Court Division of the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Bangladesh opposition parties have rejected the bill of Public Security Act. According to them the law is being adopted as a part of government's bid to foil the on-going anti-government movement.

They also said the government being unnerved by losing its popularity, took the move to make the new 'black law' to cling to power.

In a statement, the main opposition party, BNP, Secretary General Abdul Manan Bhuiyan condemned the cabinet approval of the new law.

He said the people would lose the fundamental right if the proposed bill is enacted. The opposition parties as well as the opposition opinion will be repressed if the law is passed, he added. He said the government is proceeding to adopt the law only to eliminate the opposition parties.

Deterioration of law and order cannot be checked by making this law while the ruling party leaders and activists are involved in the terrorist activities: killing, dacoity, snatching, stripping of women are being done by the ruling party men, he opined.

Assistant Secretary General of Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh said the approval of the law by the cabinet proved that the government is taking autocratic way to crush the opposition parties.

This is not being adopted for the betterment of the general people, only for the elimination of the opposition is the motive behind enacting this black law, the Jamat leader said.

The Islami Okay Jote leader Maulana ARM Abdul Matin said this black law will intensify the on-going movement as the people will not accept the law. APP