Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Wednesday said the government has decided to impose a ban on hoisting of any worn-out and dull national flag on the Victory Day and also illumination of any establishment or structure on the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day. “None will be allowed to hoist any worn-out and filthy national flag on the occasion of the Victory Day, December 16, side by side with illumination of any establishment or structure on December 14, the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day,” he told journalists after a meeting on the occasion of the Victory Day celebration at the ministry conference room yesterday.
The government will take measures to facilitate everyone for celebrating the Victory Day, he said adding that, “On the Victory Day, all government, semi-government, autonomous and private buildings would have to hoist the national flag with proper size and colour following the Cabinet Division’s instruction,”.
It was noticed that many offices hoist dirty national flags and having no proper sizes and colour, the home minister said. “We have taken the decision that the national flag would have to be hoisted on the Victory Day as per the national flag rules and guidelines,” he said. Besides, the government has noticed illumination on the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day in the capital and elsewhere in the country, Kamal added.
“Illumination is allowed on the occasion of the Victory Day, December 16, but the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day will be observed in a befitting manner,” he said. Kamal said many people raise national flags on the occasion of the Victory Day and the government has no objection in this regard. But the following day the national flag should be put down according to the rules and regulations.
Special measures will be taken for ensuring safety and security to the President, the Prime Minister and cabinet members at the National Mausoleum, the home minister said. He said the National Mausoleum at Savar and the route from Dhaka to Savar will be brought under the surveillance of the close circuit cameras (CCC) to avoid any untoward incident.
Among others, Secretary to the Public Security Division Mostafa Kamal Uddin, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Javed Patwari, Director General of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Benazir Ahmed, Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Md Shafiqul Islam and officials concerned were present at the meeting.
Kamal also said that the government will not allow erecting any gate on the Dhaka-Savar road on that day. In the metropolitan areas, district headquarters and upazila headquarters, security arrangements will be taken as per the local demand on the occasion of the Victory Day, he said.
The home minister said, “All organizations will have to take permission from the concerned administrations before holding rallies and cultural events on the Victory Day so that administrations can take security measures.” “We will inform the concerned administrations so that no war criminals or controversial person could take part in the Victory Day’s programmes,” he added.