Incidents of crime such as thefts, mugging, robbery, extortion, murder and rape occurring in Dhaka and various parts of the country have left citizens deeply concerned. No one had anticipated that the law and order situation would deteriorate to such an extent within just six and a half months after interim government came in power.
At approximately 10:30 pm on Sunday, a gold trader in the Banasree area of the capital was shot and miscreants made off with 200 tolas of gold and cash amounting to Tk 100,000. On the same day, in Savar’s Ashulia, robbers broke into the home of an actor and his wife, shot them and fled the scene.
In protest against an incident against the rape, students and individuals from various professions blocked Mirpur road at Asad Gate on Sunday. On the same night, students of Dhaka University held a rally and demonstration demanding the resignation of Adviser of Home Affairs, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
At an emergency press conference held at 3:00am on Sunday night, the Adviser of Home Affairs stated that the law and order situation had improved compared to past. However, the following day, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam acknowledged the deterioration of law and order in Dhaka stating, “Mugging has increased at night. It has also increased during the day.” Adviser of Home Affairs claims that the law and order situation has improved, the IGP asserts that mugging has escalated both during the day and at night. Whose statement should the citizen trust?
Adviser further stated that the associates of the Awami League were attempting to destabilise the country. If these associates are indeed responsible for creating instability, why has the government not taken action against them? Despite more than two weeks of Operation Devil Hunt, incidents of mugging, robbery and extortion continue to rise. What explanation does the government have for this? Does this operation merely serve as eyewash?
While the Home Affairs Adviser places all the blame to the associates of Awami Lague, what is actually the ground reality? The reality is that traders at market are being ordered by leaders and activists of a particular political party to pay them tolls. Local gangsters are openly attacking couples on the streets. Armed gangs are looting passengers on running bus and incidents of violence against women continue to rise. Despite the deployment of police, along with RAB, BGB, Ansar and even armed forces, criminal activities shows no signs of decreasing. Who will answer for this failure?
First and foremost, it must be acknowledged that the government has not taken the necessary effective measures to ensure safety of people’s lives and properties. Following last year’s student-led movement, many top criminals managed to evade justice through legal loopholes. During the uprising, a significant amount of police weapons and ammunitions also went missing. Without apprehending these criminals and recovering the lost arms and ammunitions, any expectation of improved law and order remains unrealistic. Moreover, after the transition of power, the government has failed to properly restore the morale of the police force, which has been significantly weakened. This lack of institutional support has further contributed to decreasing of security situation.
In the past, political governments would often use law enforcement operations as a tool to target opposition parties rather than apprehend actual criminals. Their primary objective was not crime prevention but the suppression of political adversaries. However, this government is not expected to have any political ambitions. The Operation Devil Hunt, launched in response to an incident in Gazipur, has also raised questions among the public.
Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon, following a meeting with senior officials of law enforcement agencies, the Adviser of Home Affairs stated that “noticeable” measures have been taken to improve the law and order situation. We can only hope that the government will apprehend criminals regardless of their political affiliation. If associates of the Awami League are involved in criminal activities, the government must take action against them. However, this does not mean that criminals outside this political sphere should be spared.