Mobile courts would protect public life and property during the 48-hour hartal called by the opposition, home minister Sahara Khatun told reporters at her secretariat office Tuesday.
She said that besides the police, mobile courts would operate just as they did during last month’s hartal called by the main opposition BNP and its allies.
‘None would be allowed create anarchy in the name of hartal,’ she said.
She said the police would remain on the vigil to check vandalism and violence during the 48-hour countrywide shutdown beginning Wednesday.
Mobile courts set up by the Awami League-led government on June 11 on the eve of a 36-hour hartal, called by the opposition, had on the first day sentenced at least 52 leaders and activists of BNP and its allies to various terms on the spot.
The mobile courts, which remained active throughout the 36-hour countrywide hartal which ended on June 13, sentenced over 100 opposition leaders and workers.
The government drew sharp criticism from human rights groups and lawyers for setting up the mobile courts which gave the on the spot sentences refusing the opposition leaders and workers the right to self-defence, in gross violation of the Constitution.
BNP and its allies on Sunday called the nationwide hartal in protest against the abolition of the
election time caretaker government system to ensure Awami Leagues return to power by holding rigged elections.
The opposition called the hartal also to press a host of other demands.
On Monday, prime minister Sheikh Hasina while chairing a cabinet meeting ordered the law enforcement agencies to deal with hartal protesters sternly ‘to protect public life and property.’
Shara told reporters, that the mobile courts would operate under the Mobile Court Act 2009 to ‘check vandalism in the name of hartal.’
Asked whether or not the BNP and Jamaat would be allowed to take out processions in favour of hartal, the home minister said police would go tough if the pro-hartal activists block the streets to vehicular traffic.
She said that there was no reason for the opposition to call the hartal.
She called upon the opposition to withdraw its hartal.
-With New Age input
