'I raised the weapon fearing an attack' — State Minister Ishraq explains the Gendaria incident

Ishraq Hossain, Member of Parliament for the Dhaka-6 constituency and State Minister for Liberation War Affairs, has finally given a formal explanation of the incident in which he was seen with a weapon in hand at an anti-drug programme in the capital's Gendaria. In a statement issued on Sunday, he claimed that because of security risks and fears of an attack, he had kept his personal licensed weapon with him and had raised it for a brief time when the situation required.

Ever since videos and photos of the state minister taking part in the programme with a weapon in hand in the area adjoining the Gendaria railway line on Saturday (17 October) spread on social media, widespread discussion and criticism had begun over the matter. Questions were raised in various quarters as to how justified it was for a state minister to display a weapon in public in this way. It was in the face of that debate that he clarified his position on Sunday.

In the statement, the state minister said he had long been receiving complaints from local residents about drug trading and the spread of drugs in various areas of Gendaria. The statement also mentioned that he has been working with local people, identifying in particular Ghantighar, Munshitek, Karatitola and the surrounding areas as drug-prone.

Laying out the background, the statement said that after three people were shot in a drug-related violent incident last June, the state minister had visited the area. At that time he held several meetings with officials of the law enforcement agencies. The statement also said that a DO letter had been given to the police station concerned for setting up a permanent police outpost near the drug dens.

According to the state minister, Saturday's programme was not a decision taken suddenly. The social resistance programme in Gendaria was organised on the basis of decisions of the police administration and local political and social leaders. Members of the law enforcement agencies also took part in that programme alongside members of the general public.

Explaining the reason for carrying the weapon, Ishraq Hossain said that before going to the area he had been warned by law enforcement agencies and intelligence sources about the security risk to him. He claimed he had also been informed of the fear that drug dealers might suddenly open fire from the rooftops of various buildings.

The statement also gave a description of the key moment of the incident. According to his claim, during the programme, when they approached a makeshift drug den, 30 to 35 people advanced towards their motorcade in an aggressive posture. Fearing an attack, he and his security guards then got down from the vehicle and raised their weapons for a brief time. After the situation came under control, the weapon was put back in its place.

Ishraq Hossain emphasised that the firearm he had with him has a valid licence and that it was carried out of the need for self-defence. In other words, he claimed there is no basis to the allegation that the weapon was illegal.

The statement also presented a picture of the raids after the programme. According to the state minister's office, raids were conducted together with the police at several drug dens, and four to five makeshift drug dens were demolished.

The statement said heroin or heroin-like drugs, foreign liquor, drug-taking equipment, locally made sharp weapons, cash from drug sales and snatched mobile phones were recovered in the raids. Six people were detained in this incident and handed over to the Gendaria police station. However, the statement did not mention whether the police have separately published detailed information about the recovered evidence and the detained persons.

The state minister also expressed dissatisfaction over the role of the media. His allegation is that his role was portrayed centring on a scene of only a few seconds of the incident, as a result of which the full context of the event did not come before the readers. Naming the reports of several media outlets, he said that, leaving aside the information about the anti-drug raids, the presence of the police, the recovery of drugs and weapons and the detention of six people, only the scene of him holding a weapon was given importance.

Ishraq Hossain called upon the media to verify information and present the full context of an incident before publishing any news. He also hinted that serving news with a partial picture creates confusion in the public mind.

In the final part of the statement, the state minister once again clarified his position against drugs. He said making the Dhaka-6 constituency drug-free is one of his pledges. Social resistance against drugs and raids by law enforcement agencies will continue in the future as well.

Although this explanation from the state minister came after day-long speculation over the weapon-display incident, whether the debate will stop completely depends on the police publishing independent information about the incident and on the subsequent legal process regarding the detained persons. For now, the statement has come forward as the formal version from the state minister's side on this incident.