Just as no citizens are above the law, those who run the state cannot violate the law either. Yet what has happened in case of the six coordinators leading the quota reform movement is a blatant violation of law. Some of these six coordinators have been detained for five days and some for three days at the Detective Branch of Police (DB) headquarters.
Even when the teachers came to meet their students, they were sent back. In fact, the DB officials didn’t even show them minimum courtesy. In a country where the citizens are denied of fundamental rights and human rights, courtesy from the officers of the law enforcement agencies is hardly expected.
Article 32 of the constitution states, “No person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty save in accordance with law.” The detective branch of police in the name of providing ‘protection’ picked up three of these coordinators while they were undergoing treatment at hospital. The other three have been taken away from their homes at different hours.
DB has not clarified whether these coordinators are captive or free. It has been stated that they have been brought to DB for their own safety. But, none of these coordinators sought protection from the DB. Certainly, the DB cannot decide where the citizens will be safe. The citizens will decide that themselves.
With this, the government has violated the human rights of these six coordinators. Article no. 31 of the constitution states, “No action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person shall be taken except in accordance with law.”
If they are not in fact arrested according to the statement of the DB chief, the law and order enforcement forces do not have the jurisdiction to keep them detained at the DB headquarters. And even if arrested, there is a provision to inform the relatives within three hours and to produce before the court within 24 hours.
Keeping the six coordinators detained unlawfully and making them read out a written statement of withdrawing the movement has tremendously infuriated the people regardless of their class and profession including the students.
The government removed Harun-or-Rashid from the post of the DB chief on Wednesday evening. He has long been throwing dinners at his office for the people who are picked up by the DB. And, he would also share photographs of that on the social media.
The fact that this is the height of insolence has come up in the observation of court recently on the reference of publishing photographs of the student coordinators dining. The court addressing the state said, “Who told you to do so? Why did you do it? Do not ridicule the nation. Whoever you detain, you make them dine on the table.”
After this comment from the honorable court, it had been expected that the DB police as to the government would come to their senses and the detained coordinators would immediately be released from the DB headquarters.
The enraged civil society had given an ultimatum of 48 hours regarding this. However, they did not take any step of that sort. DB chief Harun has been removed and the six coordinators have just been released from the DB headquarters after 1:30 pm today, Thursday.
With this, the Detective Branch of Police has scorned the law and constitution of the country. In a country where there is minimum rule of law, no citizen can be detained unlawfully in the DB headquarters like this.