Staff Reporter:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to strengthen drives against food hoarding and counterfeit currencies ahead of Ramadan and Eid, along with taking tougher legal action against militancy, terrorism, drug abuse, and ‘teen gangs’.
“Some of our unscrupulous traders keep hoarding the commodities, which we require the most during the month of Ramadan, and exercise other unethical tactics to increase their prices to make over profit. You have to take appropriate measures against them,” she said.
The Prime Minister said they even become more profit-mongers, forgetting that Ramadan is a month of self-constraint from doing all bad things.
She said yesterday in her address marking the 20th founding anniversary of RAB at its headquar-ters in the capital.
Mentioning that the circulation of fake currencies usually increases ahead of Eid, she said, surveil-lance has to be enhanced further ahead of Eid to this end.”
” RAB personnel have to continue the drives against counterfeit currencies,” she said.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan spoke at the function, while Director General (DG) of the RAB M Khurshid Hossain gave the welcome address.
PM’s Security Adviser, Major General (rtd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and Public Security Division Senior Secretary Md. Mustafizur Rahman, were present on the dias.
A video documentary on the activities of the RAB was also screened.
On her arrival at the venue, the Prime Minister was given a guard of honour.
Sheikh Hasina has highly praised RAB for their contribution to checking militancy, terrorism, and drug abuse and for their success in stamping out extremism from the southwestern part of the country and piracy from the Sundarbans.
“You (RAB) have to work more appropriately to this end,” she said.
She said the Holy Artisan Attack, one of the big incidents of militancy in Bangladesh, was brought under control within a few hours.
No such big scale incident of militancy occurred in Bangladesh due to the effective measures of the RAB, police, and intelligence agencies, she said, adding that the RAB has been playing a great role in this regard.
The Prime Minister asked the RAB personnel to be more cautious to protect the rights of the peo-ple.
“You have to work to protect the rights of others,” she said.
The Premier stressed the need for more intensified steps to check the spread of illegal drugs by tak-ing tougher legal action against the drug dealers and stooping drug transporation into the country by blocking their entry points.
“You have to take appropriate measures against the drug dealers,” she said.
She asked the RAB personnel to stop teenagers’ gang culture and any sorts of repression against women.
The Premier said the RAB not only detains people, who are involved in criminal activities, but also takes measures such as “Udayer Pathe” to bring them into normal life.
She continued that many pirates of the Sundarbans and extremists have returned to normal life after surrendering their arms at the initiative of RAB.
To this end, she said, 314 extremists with over 200 arms and a huge quantity of ammunition sur-rendered at different districts on May 11, 2023, under the supervision of the RAB.
The Prime Minister said her government has taken measures to rehabilitate surrendered pirates by providing financial support and arranging livelihoods for them so that they can go back to their normal lives.
In such ways, RAB has immensely contributed to maintaining peace in the country, which is the prerequisite for ensuring the overall socio-economic advancement of a country, she said.
