Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque has said that the committee has recommended to the cabinet for extending the Eid-ul-Azha holiday by one day and begin the vacation on June 27 instead of June 28.

“We have recommended to the cabinet for extending the Eid-ul-Azha holiday by one day more,” Mozammel Haque told journalists after a meeting on law and order at the home ministry conference room today.

He said, “If the cabinet passes our recommendation then the vacation will begin on June 27 instead of June 28 and through this, the Eid-ul-Azha holiday will be four days.”

About the meeting’s decisions, the minister said the government will not allow roadside temporary cattle markets during the Eid in the interest of free movement of homebound passengers through highways.

“We have instructed the DMP (Dhaka Metropolitan Police) Commissioner to talk with City Corporation authorities about temporary cattle markets in and around the city during the Eid. They will select vacant space for cattle markets so that the city dwellers can easily buy their sacrificial animals,” he said.

The meeting was attended by, among others, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tajul Islam, state minister for shipping Khalid Mahmood Chowdhury, state minister for public administration Farhad Hossain, environment, forest and climate change Minister Md Shahab Uddin, public security division secretary Md Mustafizur Rahman, inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and other officials concerned.

The minister said that the number of drugs abusers has been increasing. So, the meeting has decided to engage civil society representatives to build awareness about drugs and its consequence, he added.

“Dope tests are being done to control drug addiction. Some policemen were suspended from their jobs due to drug addiction, as our government declared zero tolerance against drugs,” he said.

Mozammel urged the media to broadcast news and publish articles on drugs and its affects and save the next generation from drug addiction.

About militancy, he said, the government formed CTTC (Counter Terrorism & Transnational Crime) and ATU (Anti Terrorism Unit) to root out militancy from the country. Members of the two departments have been working on it.

About Rohingyas, the minister said many Rohingyas were engaged in drug paddling through using Myanmar SIM cards. They are unruly and becoming threat to the law enforcement agencies. “Our existing law is not enough to control them,” he added.

Replying to a question about attack on a Barisal city mayor candidate, the minister said the committee instructed police to make a report about the attack through proper investigation.

“The attackers will be brought to book. The Prime Minister has also ordered to investigate the matter,” he added.

About propaganda and rumours on social media from abroad, he said many people are spreading rumours and propaganda in the country using social media like Tiktok, YouTube, facebook living abroad. “We cannot control them due to various reasons. They have no offices in the country,” he said.

Online media without registration must be registered quickly within a specified time, otherwise they will be closed, Mozammel added.

About the law and order in the country, he said the law and order is under the control. No major incident was found recently.