Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Tuesday expressed hope that the trial of the Ramisa murder case would be completed soon, stressing that the matter remains entirely under the jurisdiction of the court.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, he said the government was providing all necessary support to the trial process, including ensuring the presence of witnesses and investigation officers before the court.
According to the minister, around 12 witnesses were scheduled to testify on Tuesday and 11 had already given their testimony.
He said that once witness testimonies are completed, the remaining legal procedures will include statements from the accused, legal arguments and the fixing of a verdict date.
Asked about claims made by accused Sohel Rana regarding the involvement of another person known as "Dollar" in the murder, Salahuddin Ahmed said he had no information about the individual and was unaware of what the accused had stated before the court.
The Home Minister also highlighted the swift arrest of four suspects in the gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in Gazaria, Munshiganj. He said the accused were arrested with the help of technology and had already given confessional statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
On the deaths of several children at Ad-Din Hospital, he said the exact cause had yet to be determined. Possible reasons, including suffocation, gas leakage and issues related to the air-conditioning system, were being examined. He added that the absence of a postmortem could complicate legal proceedings, although exhumation and autopsy remained possible if required.
Salahuddin Ahmed expressed satisfaction with the overall law and order situation during Eid-ul-Azha, saying people across the country celebrated the festival peacefully despite a few isolated incidents.
The minister said the introduction of artificial intelligence in Dhaka's traffic management system was already producing positive results. He described the initiative as a major change and expressed hope that more visible improvements would emerge within the next one to two months.
On border issues, he said all matters relating to the Bangladesh-India border, including drug smuggling, border management and security concerns, would be discussed at the upcoming Director General-level meeting between Border Guard Bangladesh and India's Border Security Force.
He reiterated that Bangladesh would not accept any illegal push-in or push-back of people across the border and said Bangladeshi citizens should be returned only through proper verification and diplomatic procedures.
Regarding security operations in Jungle Salimpur of Chittagong, the minister said law enforcement agencies would continue their operations against criminals while ensuring that ordinary residents were not displaced.
He also condemned attacks on journalists gathering information about the Ad-Din Hospital incident, describing such incidents as unacceptable and promising investigations if complaints were filed.
The minister announced that the government was preparing new legislation to tackle drugs, online gambling, betting and money laundering, saying the existing Gambling Act of 1867 no longer reflected current realities. The proposed law is expected to be placed before Parliament in its next session.
Salahuddin Ahmed further said the government was considering measures to rehabilitate battery-powered rickshaw drivers outside metropolitan areas. He said the initiative aimed to ease traffic congestion while protecting the livelihoods of thousands of people who depend on such vehicles for income.
