My speech was distorted, I did not insult students: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated that she never referred to students as Razakars, insisting that her speech had been distorted. 

She clarified, "I did not call the students Razakars; my statement has been misrepresented. They are the ones who refer to themselves as Razakars."

The Prime Minister made these remarks while visiting the damaged Bangladesh Television (BTV) building on Friday morning. 

During her visit, she toured the BTV office, which had been severely damaged by violence during the quota reform movement.

She said that BNP-Jamaat and Shibir carried out the nationwide mayhem to undermine the country‍‍`s development alongside tarnishing its image abroad, calling upon the countrymen to help arrest the culprits involved in the havoc and bring them to justice.

"They, who are involved in such incidents, must have to be identified by searching every nook and cranny of the country, where they are staying. I am seeking support from the countrymen to identify them and expose them to justice," she added.

The Prime Minister said the BNP-Jamaat carried out nationwide arson terrorism and vandalism in 2013 in which they set fire on 3,800 vehicles, 29 trains and eight launches and this time they launched a massive destruction across the country from July 17, 2024 morning by cashing in on the quota reform movement.

"But, the characteristic of setting ablaze this time is different compared to the prior ones. They, this time used gunpowder in setting fire and everything was gutted to ashes at a while," she said.