Tajul cautions about using the term ‘mob’, politicians see it as a ‘threat’
International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam has said that using the word “mob” reflects a mindset aimed at questioning or discrediting the revolution. He therefore urged caution in using the term.
He made the remarks on Sunday morning at a policy dialogue titled “Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law” held at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital. The dialogue was organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS).
Following Tajul Islam’s remarks, several speakers strongly criticised his position. Former general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Ruhin Hossain Prince, and general secretary of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (SPB), Bazlur Rashid Firoz, said they view such statements as a “threat.”
Political figures, lawyers, human rights activists and representatives of civil society participated in the dialogue. Alongside judicial independence, the issue of mobs also featured prominently in the discussion.
In his opening remarks, CGS Executive Director Parvez Karim Abbasi said that instead of the rule of law, what is now being witnessed is “mobocracy.” He pointed to the rise of “social media trials” and said that if so-called Tawhidi Janata are allowed to take the law into their own hands while punishment of offenders is delayed, then no amount of symbolic measures will be sufficient to ensure the rule of law.
Speaking on the rule of law, Jatiya Party Secretary General Shamim Haider Patwary said, “If injustice is allowed at any time—before or after a revolution—it will inevitably bounce back. … The mob was allowed, and now the mob is devouring the government. It is devouring the Election Commission. It could even devour the country.”
Responding to these remarks, Tajul Islam said that incidents such as street muggings or the killing of religious minorities by certain groups cannot be equated with the movement that led to the fall of Ganabhaban.
He stressed that extreme caution must be exercised before applying the term “mob.” He added that if certain quarters are repeatedly using the word “mob” to undermine the achievements of the revolution that resulted in the fall of Ganabhaban, they should restrain themselves.
Former CPB general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said, “You want the rule of law, yet you incite mobs. This cannot be allowed in Bangladesh.” BNP leader Nilufar Chowdhury also criticised Tajul Islam’s remarks.
The dialogue was moderated by CGS President Zillur Rahman. Referring to the discussion, he said, “At this very table, a highly important government figure once said, ‘There is no such thing as a mob; they are pressure groups.’ Just days after such justifications were made, we saw incidents involving Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Then we noticed they stopped talking about mobs. Now that they have started speaking again in favour of mobs, we fear that we may soon witness similar incidents or mishaps once again.”