The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Chitagong

Muslim devotees Friday demanded banning of daily Prothom Alo and 'Saptahik 2000' and arrest of their editors and publishers for hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims by publishing blasphemous cartoon and write-up.

After Juma' prayers, Muslim devotees under the banner of 'General Musalli Parishad' held a rally on the Andarkilla mosque premises with its convenor Kazi Fazlul Karim in the chair.

Addressing the rally, the speakers accused the two publications for showing extreme audacity to Muslim Ummah through their "unpardonable" acts. Though they had apologised for the sacrilege, but they cannot be forgiven, the speakers said.

After the rally, the devotees numbering about 2,000 tried to bring out a procession, but abandoned the plan at the request of police officials.

A huge number of policemen were deployed in and around the mosque to prevent any untoward incident

Meanwhile, police guarded the local office of Prothom Alo today apparently to provide security to the vernacular daily.