Nirmul Committee fears sectarian violence during elections

The Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971, better known as Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, on Tuesday said that the religious minorities in remote areas of the country were now in fear of sectarian violence during the upcoming national elections.
The Forum president Shahriyar Kabir, addressing a press conference at the National Press Club in the capital, also said that they found the scenario when the leaders of the organisation in past two months visited different constituencies with a considerable number of voters from the religious minority communities. 
The press conference was organised by the Forum to press home their demands to the government, political parties and the Election Commission for free, fair and peaceful elections.
Shahriyar urged the country’s political parties not to nominate people involved in the genocide and crimes against humanity in 1971 and do not believe in the spirit of the Liberation War as candidates in parliamentary elections. 
He called upon the political parties not to nominate in the general elections the offspring of the people convicted for crimes against humanity, if they do not regret and seek apology to the nation and the families of martyrs for their parents’ crimes in 1971.
He urged the political parties not to nominate those, who had a connection with the sectarian violence.
‘We urged the political parties not to nominate as candidates the people who are accused of corruption and involved in trafficking and drug peddling,’ he said.
He hoped that the political parties in their election manifestos would declare about completing the ongoing trial of war criminals. 
Shahriyar pointed out that sectarian violence could not be stopped due to the limitation of the law and urged the political and social organisations to form ‘sectarian attack resisting committees’ comprising of pro-liberation political parties, socio-cultural organisations and students and youths in all the risky areas of the country. 
The Forum vice-presidents Muntassir Mamoon and Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, adviser Shahabuddin Ahmed and Justice Mohammed Nizamul Huq, among others, attended the press conference.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net