'Withdraw ban on Ahmadiyya publications'

Dhaka University Teachers' Association (DUTA) termed the government order a gross violation of the Constitution that protects the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion.

In a statement, DUTA President AAMS Arefin Siddique urged the government to withdraw the ban, saying that the order would spark controversy in the society.

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Bangladesh Gonotantrik Ainjibee Samity, Supreme Court unit, also demanded immediate withdrawal of the ban.

In a meeting on Monday, the Samity leaders said repression on the religious minorities have been on the rise since the BNP-Jamaat alliance government came to power.

The government ban on publications by the minority Ahmadiyya movement is a gross violation of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion, they said.

Presided over by the Samity President Advocate Tabarok Hossain, the meeting was also addressed by Parimal Chandra Guha, Ziad Al Masum and Nazmul Ahsan Mizan.

Bangladesh Chhatra Union (BCU) condemned the ban on Ahmadiyya publications, terming it a violation of the Constitution.

People of every religious faith have the right to express their views, BCU Acting President Golam Rabbani Khan and General Secretary Baki Billah said in a statement.

Demanding a ban on communal politics, they called on the government to ensure freedom of expression.

The government imposed the ban last Thursday in view of what it said was objectionable materials in Ahmadiyya publications that "hurt or might hurt the sentiments of the majority Muslims of Bangladesh".