Dhaka: State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday warned that law enforcers will tackle with an iron hand if anyone tries to create chaos in the name of hartal called by Jamaat centring capital punishment to war criminal and its leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid.

‘Stern actions will be taken if anyone tries to engage in acts of sabotage anywhere in the country in the name of hartal over the Supreme Court’s judgment upholding the death sentence to war crimes accused Jamaat leader Mujahid,’ he told UNB over phone.

Asaduzzaman also said they have already asked the law enforcers to stay alert to fend off any trouble in the name of Jamaat’s shutdown programme.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami called a 24-hour countrywide hartal for Wednesday protesting the SC verdict upholding the death penalty awarded by the International Crimes Tribunal-2 to war criminal Jamaat secretary general Mujahid.

The junior minister said security measures have been tightened to ensure the security of public life and property during the hartal while additional police personnel and members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) will be deployed at the city’s different strategic points.

Mentioning that people want the trial of war criminals, Asaduzzaman said they are now happy as the Supreme Court upheld the tribunal’s death sentence to Mohajid.

‘People will reject Jamaat’s hartal as they don’t want to see any shutdown in the country,’ he observed.