On the day when our chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus emphasised the need for important measures to maintain law and order during the DC meeting, Prothom Alo published a report titled 'Drivers and passengers unsafe on Dhaka-Chattogram highway'. For some days now, news of a decline in law and order has been surfacing. It is presumed that this issue gained prominence in the Chief Adviser’s remarks due to such concerns. However, as with many other matters, there appears to be a significant disparity between the government leader’s intent and the reality on the ground.
According to Prothom Alo report, repeated incidents of robbery have turned the Dhaka-Chattogram highway into a source of fear for different vehicle passengers. Even during daylight hours, criminals are stopping vehicles on the highway and looting passengers at gunpoint. Shockingly, some robberies are even being carried out by individuals claiming to be law enforcement officers
Light vehicle drivers from the Cumilla region, who regularly operate on the highways, have reported that at least 100 incidents of robbery and hijacking have occurred over the past six months on the stretch of highway between Kanchpur of Narayanganj and Chandina of Cumilla. Alarmingly, the majority of these incidents have not resulted in the filing of official complaints. Meanwhile, the records indicate that at least 19 cases of robbery have been registered over the last six months on highways, including the Dhaka-Chattogram route and various roads in Narayanganj.
On 14 January, a group of individuals claiming to be RAB members stopped a bus in Keodhala area under Bandarban police station in Narayanganj. They forcibly removed two passengers returning from abroad and transferred them into a microbus, subsequently robbing them all. The primary targets of the hijackers along this route are passengers returning via airport and businesspersons travelling to the capital from different parts of the country.
According to the concerned individuals, such incidents of robbery have occurred in the past but there has been noticeable increase since 5 August. The most alarming aspect is the rise in robberies committed by criminals claiming themselves as law enforcement officers, particularly RAB. This strongly indicates a lack of adequate guard on major highways, leaving travellers increasingly vulnerable to criminal activities.
During previous political governments, police stations often refrain from registering cases to present a lower crime rate, thereby creating an illusion of stability for the higher authorities. However, why is the same pattern recurring under the interim government which was formed through a mass uprising? What explanation does have Ministry of Home Affairs have in this regard? In the ongoing special operation ‘Operation Devil Hunt’, how many identified hijackers have been apprehended so far, the figure should be disclosed. If the sole objective of this operation is to target members of a specific political party, then regardless of how many individuals are detained, crime will not be decreased.
Not only Dhaka-Chattogram highway, the security measures of highways in whole country is inadequate. Individuals travelling long distances in cars or microbuses are at significant risk. While public transport, such as buses, receives some level of surveillance, these private vehicles remain entirely outside the scope of monitoring.
After six months can law enforcement agencies still justify their inaction with excuses such as lack of coordination among different forces? The expectation is that the interim government will take decisive measures to enhance security on highways. Crime-prone areas should be guarded at all times.