Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed declared in parliament on Monday that anyone who carried out armed attacks against July uprising participants is a criminal, regardless of which security force uniform they wore, and pledged proper investigation of all cases while ensuring legal protection for July fighters.
Responding to supplementary questions in the Jatiya Sangsad, the home minister said armed attackers who targeted July uprising participants and ordinary citizens, whether wearing security force uniforms or belonging to Awami League, Jubo League or Chhatra League, are all culpable.
"Cases have been filed against them. If not, you will file them, and all cases will be properly investigated. The responsibility for trials lies with the judiciary," he said.
BNP MP Zainul Abedin Faruk raised the question about armed attacks on July fighters, to which Salahuddin Ahmed emphasized the government's commitment under the July National Charter to provide legal and constitutional protection to those who participated in the mass uprising.
He said ordinances were issued during the interim government period to protect July fighters, which have been presented in parliament, and all members have agreed to pass them as bills.
The minister addressed claims by the Awami League group on social media demanding trials for certain killings, saying that if such logic is applied, freedom fighters could also face trial for killing collaborators during the Liberation War if someone files a case now.
He said those who attacked protesters like an occupying force during the mass uprising faced resistance, and some may have died or been injured, but that outcome was settled on the battlefield. Ordinances have been issued to protect July fighters in such circumstances, he added.
Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) MP Akhtar Hossain asked whether the Home Ministry would take departmental action against police personnel who participated in killings and torture during the July uprising, beyond judicial investigations. He also raised concerns about the Awami League using the frame of "police killings" to create disorder.
Salahuddin Ahmed said specific cases have been filed regarding police killings, with some pending at the International Crimes Tribunal and others in courts under the general penal code. Investigations are ongoing, and some charge sheets have been submitted. Verdicts have been announced in one or two cases against Sheikh Hasina and her associates, including the former home minister, which were broadcast live.
He said courts will conduct trials independently without government interference, and all cases of enforced disappearances, murders and mass killings will be tried.
On case withdrawals, the minister said the interim government had withdrawn some politically motivated and fictitious cases. After BNP assumed responsibility, committees headed by district magistrates were formed to review cases filed between 2009 and 2024 with political motives. Applicants can seek withdrawal through these committees, which will forward recommendations to the ministry. A committee led by the law minister will then advise on withdrawals under Section 494 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Independent MP Rumeen Farhana raised the issue of mob culture, saying 250 to 300 people were killed by mobs between September 2024 and January 2026, and she herself was a victim in February. She asked what measures the government would take to stop this culture.
The home minister said he does not have statistics for the 2024 to 2026 period but asserted that mob-like incidents have not occurred since his government took charge. He said not everything should be labeled as mob action, citing the attack on Palashbari police station in Gaibandha, the February 21 attack on the MP, and shop closures in Uttara as examples of organized, planned crimes that are being investigated through legal channels.
He declared firmly that mob culture will not be tolerated in Bangladesh. "The tendency seen during the interim government period of blocking highways to press demands will never be allowed again. Democratic processes allow for demands, petitions to authorities, seminars and public gatherings, but we must move away from the tendency of blocking roads to enforce demands," he said.
NCP MP Abul Hasnat Abdullah raised concerns about police officers being told to "manage" expenses for investigations and state programs due to insufficient budgets, leading to corruption and extortion from businesspeople.
The home minister acknowledged the issue and said he would propose adequate budgeting for police in the next session to make the force more efficient and corruption-free. While the country's economy may not be fully capable of providing all necessary resources, the government wants to establish a transparent and accountable police force free from the "manage kore nao" (manage it yourself) culture, he said.
