Free Manna immediately, forge unity to combat extremism: speakers

Politicians, academics and professionals at a roundtable on Monday urged the government to release Nagarik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, immediately.
Manna had been held without trial for 15 months.
They also asked the government for forging a national unity to curb extremism across the country.
Nagarik Oikya, organised the roundtable at the National Press Club, which titled ‘Free Mahmudur Rahman Manna for forging national unity to face extremist forces’ where the adviser to the organisation, SM Akram, gave an introductory speech.
He expressed his concern for incarcerating Manna for more than 15 months without trial. He was picked up by the law enforcers on charge of a telephonic conversation with BNP central leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka. Police claimed that the conversation was seditious.
SM Akram also demanded for cementing a broad national unity to combat Islamist extremists in the country.
ASM Abdur Rob, president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction, demanded release of Manna before August 15 and starting the trial of the cases filed against him.
He said Manna has been kept in jail for a long time, which is against the rule of law.
He called on the government to convene a convention to forge a national unity.
‘We must face the crisis politically relating to religious extremists and form a national unity to mitigate it,’ Rob added.
Khalequzzaman, general secretary of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh, called on both the government and Bangladesh Nationalist Party to refrain from indulging in blame games on extremism and rather forge a national unity to face the crisis.
He held both the parties, AL and BNP, responsible for allowing religious extremists forces to grow in the country.
Khalequzzaman called on the government to refrain from using religion in national politics.
Jahangirnagar University teacher Dilara Chowdhury said the government curtailed the democratic rights of the people and that the citizens have been suffering from serious insecurity after two events of attacks in the city and at a suburban area on early July.
Subrata Chowdhury said the government had failed to take effective steps to curb radical forces in the country.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net