Probing if MP involved in Radda health centre demolition: Home minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday said that investigators are probing if a local member of parliament (MP) is involved in the demolition of the Radda MCH-FP Centre in the capital’s Mirpur area, warning that no one found involved in the incident would be spared.
He made the remarks to reporters at the Secretariat after a meeting on the security of puja mandaps and maintenance of law and order ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja.
“You know that a police officer has been found negligent in his duties over the Radda incident. He has been withdrawn immediately and departmental proceedings have been initiated,” the minister said.
Without naming anyone, he said that some of the people who went there as criminals might have political identities, “but we will never consider that”. He said that they had been arrested and legal steps taken.
“Whether a lawmaker is involved is under investigation. We will spare no one in this regard if any involvement is found,” he added.

On 24 September, a tin-shed and three semi-pucca buildings of the health centre were razed with heavy machinery. Doors and windows of five rooms of the pucca building, including the ultrasonogram room, vaccination room and laboratory, were also smashed.
The attackers took away furniture, medicines, an ultrasonogram machine, a generator, computers, printers, refrigerators, air conditioners and almirahs. The case statement puts the total loss at more than Tk1 crore.
A journalist said that 38 eminent citizens had expressed concern that land grabbing and extortion were taking place using political influence, causing deterioration of law and order, and that the government bore responsibility.
In reply, the minister said that the government was treating offenders as offenders irrespective of political identity.
The government is liable only when it fails to take action or police fail to act, he said.

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