1971 persecutors return to contest polls: Salahuddin

COX'S BAZAR, Jan 30 (UNB): BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed has said those who persecuted the country's Hindu community during the 1971 Liberation War have returned in a new form to contest elections, raising concerns about the safety of all citizens in Bangladesh.

Speaking at an interaction meeting with Hindu and Buddhist communities at Bishwas Para in Pekuya of Cox's Bazar on Saturday, Salahuddin said, "During the great Liberation War, a religion-based group inflicted the most suffering on our Hindu brothers and sisters. Those who did not believe in independence or opposed it were responsible for this persecution."

He added that under BNP rule, people of all faiths lived in safety, and the party's founder, the martyred President Ziaur Rahman, ensured religious freedom for all and recognised everyone residing in Bangladesh as Bangladeshi, regardless of religion. "We do not support ethnic, religious, or racial divisions. We want everyone to live together as Bangladeshis," he said.

The meeting was chaired by former general secretary of Pekuya Upazila Bishwas Para Puja Udyapan Parishad, Chandamoy Biswas Tilok. Other speakers included Pekuya Upazila BNP president Bahadur Shah and Upazila Jubo Dal convener Kamran Jadid Mukut.