Prime Minister (PM) and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday pledged that the government would secure the death penalty for Sohel Rana, convicted of raping and murdering eight-year-old Ramisa Akter in Dhaka's Pallabi area, within one month, while also warning the public of coordinated attempts to destabilize the country by exploiting the national outrage over the case.
Speaking at a state ceremony in Trishal, Mymensingh, marking the inauguration of the three-day celebrations of the 127th birth anniversary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and the Nazrul Award 2025, the Prime Minister declared that the government will not tolerate violence against children or women under any circumstances.
He said the maximum punishment in this case is the death penalty, and that a swift verdict is essential to deter future crimes of this nature.
Earlier in the day, at the inauguration of the re-excavation of Dharar Khal canal in Trishal, Rahman accused unnamed groups of exploiting public anger over the Ramisa case to instigate unrest.
He said people who had blocked roads, set fires and incited tensions in recent days were deliberately obstructing the rule of law and sabotaging government development programmes.
He pointed out that these same groups were absent when similar crimes occurred under the previous interim government, and alleged that their current activism is politically motivated, driven by frustration over the BNP's election victory.
He urged the public to remain vigilant, warning that continued disorder would disrupt canal excavation projects, distribution of aid, farmers' support programmes, religious clergy stipends and efforts to provide rural schoolchildren with uniforms and bags.
Rahman also alleged that those trying to create anarchy have covert ties with forces ousted on August 5, drawing a comparison with political collaborations in 1986 and 1996.
He called on the people to protect the country's sovereignty and development agenda from what he described as ongoing conspiracies.
At the Nazrul anniversary event, the Prime Minister called for wider global promotion of the poet's life and works and urged the Culture Ministry and tourism authorities to explore declaring Trishal as "Nazrul City."
He described Kazi Nazrul Islam as an inseparable part of Bangladesh's national identity and a timeless symbol of rebellion, humanism and secular values.
He noted with pride that Trishal is hosting a national state-level Nazrul celebration after nearly two decades, the last such event having taken place in 2006.
He also recalled that the late President Ziaur Rahman bore the poet's funeral bier in 1976 and that former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia established Kazi Nazrul Islam University in Trishal, presenting both as expressions of genuine national respect.
The Nazrul event was chaired by Culture Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and attended by the poet's granddaughter Khilkhil Kazi, senior officials, cultural figures and lawmakers.
The canal inauguration was presided over by Mymensingh-7 lawmaker Mahbubur Rahman Liton, with Disaster Management Minister Asadul Habib Dulu and local leaders also addressing the gathering.
The Prime Minister formally launched the canal project by unveiling a plaque, breaking ground with a spade and planting a palm sapling along the waterway.
