Dhaka: Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque on Saturday stressed the need for setting up a de-radicalization and rehabilitation centre to bring back the militants to their normal life.

“Militants always try to spread their religious beliefs amongst people . . . A de-radicalization and rehabilitation centre will be set up to help them in returning to their normal life,” he told news agency BSS on the sideline of the inaugural session of a two-day “International Conference on Terrorism in the Wave of Islamic State” on Dhaka University campus on Saturday.

The police chief said the correction centre could be set up under the supervision of the jail authority or any other government organization.

“I think it would bring about change in the mindset of the radicalism of the misguided youths as well as help to curb militancy which has become a global problem now-a-days,” he added.

Earlier, speaking at the conference organized by Dhaka University’s Department of Criminology, he urged the guardians to become conscious about the movement and activities of their children as a number of youths and women are engaging themselves in militant activities.  

Besides, the police chief emphasized on creating mass awareness through proper education, campaign of religious leaders and Islamic scholars as “there is no room of militancy and terrorism in Islam.”

He further mentioned that the misguided people were the members of home-grown militant organizations including Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), who want to change the political ideology through violence.

Chairperson of Criminology Department Prof Dr Zia Rahman presented his keynote paper in the inaugural session which was also addressed, among others, by Northlands Ambassador Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere and Lecturer of the department Khanaker Farzana Rahman.

Subsequently, the IGP told journalists that the members of law enforcement agencies would be able to nab the militant kingpin Major Zia like others as they continue their combined drives.

Replying to a query, he said, “As we have enough evidences regarding the Holey Artisan bakery or other attacks, the deaths of Gulshan café attack’s mastermind Marzan and his cohort Saddam will not hamper our efforts in countering militancy.”

Seeking all-out cooperation in curbing militancy, the IGP added: “The drive will continue until militancy and terrorism are rooted out completely from the country.”