Country doesn’t need DSA

BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas Uddin Ahmed on Saturday said that the country does not need an "oppressive" law like the Digital Security Act.

"Under this law, writers and journalists are being thrown in jail today. We want to repeal this black law," he said.

He was speaking at the protest rally against the killings of writer and journalist Mushtaq Ahmed and journalist Borhan Uddin Mujakkir arranged by Jatiya Swecchasebak Dal in front of the National Press Club on Saturday.

Earlier, he said the party had demanded the release of cartoonist Ahmed Kishore long before the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed. "But the government did not release him," he added.

Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, another member of the committee said the police have turned into the "battalions of the dictatorship" to protect their jobs.

"Police is for the safety of the people, not just for the Awami League. This country is not a monarchy," he added.

BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal said people of all walks of life must line up and take to the streets to restore independence.

BNP leaders have alleged that additional policemen have been deployed at the press club area, pedestrians have been searched extensively and activists have been stopped on the way.