Chattogram Deputy Commissioner (DC) and District Magistrate Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzamanhas said licence will be revoked if evidence of illegal use of legal weapon is found.
“Illegal use of legal arms will be prevented and illegal arms will be recovered. If you [students] give us information about where arms and ammunition may have been found in Chattogram district, we will inform the Bangladesh Army of it for recovery of the firearms. Mobile numbers of army will be given to you, you can also contact them,” he said.
The DC was speaking at an view exchange meeting with the coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement at the conference room of Chattogram Circuit House on Thursday.
He said this type of meeting will be organised at the upazila level as well. For this purpose, the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) concerned will coordinate with the Anti-discrimination Student Movement Coordinators.
“During the recent vandalism, several police stations in the city were set on fire while arms and ammunition were looted. We are trying to find out what quantity of arms and ammunition was there in the police stations and what happened to them. These matters are very serious, which need to be known. Many of you recovered the missing weapons and ammunitions of the security guards and gave them to the treasury of district administration. If the looted arms and ammunition are found, they can be handed over to the magistrate concerned in the Judicial Munshikhana (JM) section of the District Administration,” he said. The district magistrate said at the moment there is no manpower to activate all the police stations, which have been damaged and destroyed. No one can be found at the police stations to take complain about crime and other issues. “We are trying to strengthen the morale of the police force and bring them back to work. You do a lot of work, but our request to you is that we need about 1,000 volunteers. Police will feel safe if volunteers who live near the police stations in the district and metropolitan city patrols around the police stations. We will also include BNCC, Rover Scouts and Girl Guides. Then, at least 10 people will patrol for 8 hours around the police station in three shifts,” he said.
The DC said, “We will work together to protect all important structures, including district-upazila and court buildings. The problems of students in colleges and universities will be solved after discussing with the authorities.”
In the light of the anti-discrimination students' statements, the Deputy Commissioner said the students are working very nicely in keeping the traffic management normal in the unstable situation and cleaning the city.
The DC said the students have asked for some equipment support for traffic management, which is a police matter. “However, I will give you some equipment support. The equipment of various government establishments, including the police stations, was destroyed. In particular, computers, electricity, lockers, file cabinets, chairs and tables will be repaired and supplied to the police stations as soon as possible and the activities of the police stations will be resumed. The police cars were burnt. I have started working to resume police activities through vehicle requisition until new vehicles are available for police stations.”
At the same time, the DC put emphasis on market control by breaking the syndicates.
He said Chattogram is a very important district. Around 92 percent of the country's import-export activities are conducted through Chattogram port and work is in progress to keep this port active.
In the meeting, Chief Coordinator of Anti-discrimination Student Movement in Chattogram Md Russell Ahmed said the movement gained momentum because the people and media workers of the country supported them. The government of Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country due to the movement.
They also spoke of some demands for building a new Bangladesh. The administration should take responsibility for implementation of the demands, they said.
Coordinators and co-coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement spoke of various demands at the meeting.
