Why no action against those possessing illegal arms?

A report published in Prothom Alo last Wednesday under the headline “Armed men not brought under law” revealed some pictures of Chattogram and Noakhali. This did not stop the use of firearms in other parts of the country. Incidents of violence with illegal weapons occur time and again in different parts of the country and in most cases opposing factions of the ruling party are found involved.

In the case of Chattogram and Noakhali, firearms are used to show political power, to control opponents and establish domination. Earlier, the ruling party and the opposition used to wield firearms to dominate each other. Now that the opposition does not have that kind of power. This power play now takes place between two or more factions of the ruling party. For instance the incident in Noakhali.

There is a pourashava mayor on one side and the organising secretary of the upazila Awami League on the other. Two people, including a journalist, were killed in retaliatory attacks so far. The gunmen are yet to be arrested. A few of them after being arrested slip out through loopholes of the law. No arrests have been made in the 13 May incident at the Pabna Public Works Department where arms toting Awami League leaders demanded the contracts of government project.

In the picture published in Prothom Alo, a young man named AFM Saifuddin was seen wielding firearms in Chattogram. The police can't find him. And the leaders of the organisation he is affiliated with say they are not sure whether Saifuddin was the one with the firearms.

On 13 May, two young men -- Anwar Hossain and Shahidullah -- were seen with weapons at Basurhat in Companiganj, Noakhali. Police arrested Shahidullah after the report was published in Prothom Alo. But others remain out of reach. Of the 13 gunmen mentioned in the Prothom Alo report, five, including Shahidullah, have been arrested so far.

Others are absconding. Whenever someone is arrested, he is expelled from his organisation. Before that, everyone would remain silent. Shahidullah, who was arrested in Noakhali on Tuesday, is a supporter of Mirza Abdul Quader, the mayor of Basurhat pourashava.

This young man studied up to the sixth grade and became a construction worker. He later became involved in theft and robbery and is alleged to have become a notorious criminal under political shelter.

If there is a case against an opposition leader or a journalist under the Digital Security Act, the police arrest them without investigation. But the leaders and activists of the ruling party are not arrested even after displaying arms in public. Where is this double faced policy of law enforcement taking us?

Attempts are being made to catch the accused- this is what they say after someone is arrested. In order to stop the spread of illegal firearms in public, the accused must be brought under law. At the same time, those who give shelter to these miscreants for political purposes should also be brought under the law.