A sad state of affairs!

What happened to Humayun Azad yesterday was not an isolated event at all.  Only days ago, Kamal Hussain was attacked as well.  It was through sheer good fortune that he escaped unhurt.  Exactly two days before the last general elections, Sanat Saha of Rajshahi University was attacked.  It was when one of the assailants brought his revolver out that Sanat Saha miraculously escaped.  The incident took place at the campus in broad day light and Sanat Saha had a good view of the assailants.  No one has yet been brought to justice.

Indeed, Bangladesh is a country where law and order situation has all but broken down.  About two years ago when assailants murdered a two year old child in Dhaka there was a furore in the press.  Consequently, the Home Minister of Bangladesh was obliged to show a gesture of good will to the parents.  He said to the parents, “Please do not grieve, Allah has taken him!”  Now, if what the Home Minister said is true, then my question is: Why should the Minister be there?  Is he not redundant?  Let Allah take the responsibility of maintaining law and order in Bangladesh, we do not need a Home Minister.

From one of the dailies that I read every morning, I find that there is not a single day when a number of people are not murdered by thugs – mainly goondas, including student goondas, hired by political parties.  If anything that really worries most people in Bangladesh at this moment, it is the law and order situation.

The Awami League government lost its power because it failed to maintain law and order.  It was with the promise to bring back law and order that this Jamat-backed government came to power.  The people of Bangladesh knew what roles men such as Matiur Rahman Nizami and Dilwar Hussain Saeedi had played in the past, even so, they voted them to power.  Why?  Because, people had become fed up with the Awami League government in spite of the fact that Sheikh Hasina had done some wonderful work.  It was Hasina’s government that was able to sign a fair treaty with India on the sharing Ganges water.  Her government was also able to sign a peace treaty with the Chakma rebels.  Above all, despite repeated floods and other natural disasters, there was never a food crisis.  The government did not allow the price of rice to go up either.  Despite all this, Hasina’s government was ousted in an election that was more or less fair.  The main reason for her defeat was the law and order situation.

However, what people had hoped for from this Jamat-backed government, constituted largely by ex-army men, was the restoration of law and order.  But if anything, the situation has deteriorated. Never in the past had so many political murders taken place everyday on a regular basis.  Never had cases of extortion, kidnappings and of mugging been so rampant.  Never had so many journalists been tortured and / or murdered.  And these cases are happening not in spite of, but sometimes with the help of, the law enforcing agencies.  On the top of the politically influenced police, BNP-Jamat government has a large number of hired political thugs.

However, can you really hope that this government would be replaced by another which would truly be impartial and democratic and would allow law enforcing agencies to work without political interference?  I cannot.  The Awami League had MPs such as Jaynal  Hazari.  It still has some.  Any alternatives?  Prospects do not look rosy.