Curfew a temporary measure: Fakhruddin Ahmed

Dhaka, Aug 22 (UNI) Chief Advisor of Bangladesh military-backed interim government Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed has said that curfew and shut down of universities and colleges are temporary measures and curfew will be lifted just after improvement of the situation.

''Showing immense patience in the emerging situation, the government has taken measures, including imposition of curfew to protect public life and properties as well as to stop illegal activities,'' Mr Ahmed said in an address to the nation over state-owned radio and television tonight.

The Chief Advisor said the government hoped people irrespective of class and profession would extend all cooperation to maintain peace and discipline in society and advance current democratic and economic development.

Referring to Monday's military-student brawl on Dhaka University campus which left one man dead and at least 50 injured, Mr Ahmed said police and students locked into clashes over an unwanted incident that continued until yesterday.

Under the circumstance, he said the government had expressed deep regret and hastened to take steps in accordance with the demand of the students of Dhaka University.

The measures included withdrawal of army camp from the campus, formation of a Judicial Inquiry Commission to probe into the incidents and taking action against people responsible for the incidents, he added.

Mr Ahmed said the Army too took measures to punish the accused army person at the earliest through inquiry court.

He said the army camp was withdrawn completely from the campus today and, at the same time, the government initiated a process to constitute a Judicial Inquiry Commission led by a retired Justice of High Court.

Meanwhile, private television channels here blacked out stories on student protests that forced the military-backed caretaker government to clamp down indefinite curfew in capital Dhaka and six divisional cities.

The television channels blacked out the violence stories as information and law advisor Barrister Mainul Hosein asked journalists to play responsible role in printing and telecasting news under the state of emergency.

The government asked the mobile phone operators to shutdown their network. More than two crore mobile phone subscribers faced communication breakdown ahead of enforcement of curfew.

As per the information received from the Grameenphone Ghahok Kotha, the government asked the mobile phone operators to shutdown their network until further notice.

UNI