Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, the Advisor for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, has said that criminal activities and extortion are continuing like before August 5.
He made these comments while addressing as the chief guest at a Hifzul Quran competition and award distribution ceremony held on Thursday afternoon at the Muradnagar Upazila Complex ground in Comilla.
Asif Mahmud stated, "In exchange for the blood of the hundreds of thousands of martyrs from the July Uprising, we are talking about a new freedom. However, incidents like terrorism and extortion are still ongoing." He further added, "Someone hands me a token and demands 50 or 100 Taka from me. And those who collect extortion money think of it as their right. They believe this has been the way of the past, so why shouldn't it continue now?"
Issuing a warning to extortionists, Asif Mahmud said, "For those who think that collecting extortion money is their right, I want to send a message—after the July Popular Uprising, such activities will not be tolerated. The martyrs of the July Uprising shed their blood for this cause, and the current interim government is working towards that goal. The issues that destroyed society in the past, including extortion and terrorism, which have ruined the youth, will be crushed with a strong hand."
Speaking about the context of extortion in his own Muradnagar Upazila, the local government advisor said, "We are fortunate that there are people here who have stood up against extortion. Even those who were harmed have protested against it. This is our pride. There are such people here as well. I want to appeal to the youth of the entire country—wherever you see extortion, you must protest and stand against it. The law enforcement agencies and the administration are working to eliminate extortionists and criminals. I request the people of Muradnagar to cooperate with the administration by providing accurate information about extortionists and criminals."
At the end of the event, Asif Mahmud distributed laptops and certificates to the top three winners in each category of the Hifzul Quran competition.
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