BNP on Thursday demanded that Home Minister MK Alamgir should be brought to book for permitting use of ‘harmful’ pepper spray by police during recent agitations..
BNP Standing Committee member Tariqul Islam cited a Los Angeles Times’ report which said two persons had died and 21 were critically injured when pepper-spray was used on them in 1995 in the USA.
He said pepper spray, used for subduing dogs and other savage animals, was being used against teachers in Bangladesh and for putting down the Opposition.
Earlier, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) had demanded resignation of the Home Minister for permitting use of pepper spray.
Police has used the pepper-spray against agitating teachers demanding MPO enlistment and the leftists during their recent strike to protest the fuel price hike.
The teachers had claimed of one death after the pepper spray.
On the other hand, Home Minister MK Alamgir has said that pepper spray is not deadly.
The pepper spray is also known as OC (oleoresin capsicum) spray or OC gas and capsicum spray in other countries.
The spray contains chemical gases that cause intense eye irritation.
A report of North Carolina Medical Journal says the spray is made from water, alcohol, carbon dioxide and halogenated hydrocarbon (freyon, tetrachlorothylene, methylenene chloride).
The report said pepper spray might lead to death hampering the respiration process.
Source: Bd news24
