Why law and order needs more attention

The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus completes two months today, Tuesday. After ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina amid the student-people's uprising on 5 August, Muhammad Yunus and other advisers took oath on 8 August. At that time the law and order deteriorated immensely as there was virtually no government for three days. Hours before taking oath as the chief adviser, Muhammad Yunus at the airport rightly said that his first priority is to improve the law and order situation. Aside from the government's success and failure, there is no denying that the law and order situation is still a cause for concern.

In an exclusive interview with Prothom Alo published on 7 October, chief adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has acknowledged, "We have not been successful as yet. Law and order is not completely back to normal as yet." The public perception is that the law and order is not good. Despite various measures taken by the government, the incidents of murder, labour unrest, sectarian violence in the hill districts and more are taking place.

This is evident that a section of people is trying to unleash chaos so that this government doesn't succeed. Especially those who are the beneficiaries of the previous government led by Sheikh Hasina, who took loans from banks in their own names and in names of others and didn't repay timely,  who laundered money abroad, will never want the government to become successful. These opportunists will try to instigate and provoke violence and create anarchy across the country as the corrupt, unscrupulous and influential people were out of the purview of the law. Now as the demand of the people, those offenders including ministers, businessmen and bureaucrats are being brought to book.

When the government has undertaken such a dauntless task, incidents of criminal activities are taking place one after another, instilling fear among the people. A group of people attacked the home of Asma Begum in Nimertek area of Savar 3 October. They also beat up Asma, who is three months pregnant. The victim filed a case with Savar Model Police Station, but there is no action from the law enforcers. A police officer at the station said they are under heavy workload and limited manpower. (Daily Star, 8 October).

Although the government has taken various measures including assuring fulfilling of various demands of the workers, formation of a committee and deployment of additional law enforcers, labour unrest at Ashulia, Savar and Gazipur continues unabated.  On Saturday, there was a protest at a garment factory named Irish Fashion Limited in the Zirani area of Gazipur, where workers demanded attendance bonuses, increased meal allowances, and other issues.

As a result, traffic on the Chandra-Nabinagar road came to a halt. The issue was resolved later in the afternoon with the assistance of the army and industrial police. The Gazipur industrial zone became tense on Saturday due to protests, road blockades, and vandalism, leading to the closure of 19 factories. Many readymade garment factories are incurring loss due to labour unrest.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Abdullah Hil Rakib said 39 factories said they would require assistance for paying wages, amounting to Tk 600 million. "Meanwhile, I have talked to the high-ups of the government in this regard," he said.

Pran Group chairman Ahsan Khan Chowdhury at a seminar organised by Dhaka Chamber on 5 October said they are afraid to go to the factory. A section of law enforcers deployed in Ashulia and Gazipur industrial belt told the media that many of them deployed there are not capable of handling labour unrest.

On 6 October, the Sammilito Bhikkhu Sangha of the Chittagong Hill Tracts announced not to celebrate the ‘kothin chibor dan’, the main religious festival of the Buddhist community, this year. The orders of monks made the decision citing the “ongoing situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and lack of security” in the area as the reasons.

On 1 October, the local administration imposed section 144 in Khagrachhari as tension raised among the hill people and Bengalis after a teacher was beaten to death on the allegation of rape. He was allegedly beaten to death Tuesday noon. Tourists have been discouraged to visit hill districts in the wake of security grounds. While recently visiting hometown Khulna, a distant cousin said he is not involved in any political parties. But a local BNP leader included his name in a case related to vandalism and now he is unable to stay at home.

These are the tips of the iceberg given the law and order situation across the country. Taking the situation into consideration, the measures taken to restore the law and order seem inadequate. More actions need to be taken considering the gravity of the situation. RMG sector being the lifeline of the country's economy, labour unrest is sending a wrong message to the buyers, resulting in cancellation of orders. Alongside improving the overall law and order situation, the government needs to take special measures to stop labour unrest. The home ministry needs to be more proactive.

*Rabiul Islam is a journalist at Prothom Alo. He can be reached rabiul.islam@prothomalo.com