THIS is disconcerting that the government has not been able to restore law and order although it announced law and order as its utmost priority on assuming office on February 17. On March 2, incidents of murder, mob violence, rape and robbery were reported. An 11-year-old boy was found strangled and brutalised in a paddy field at Paba in Rajshahi district. A man was killed and seven others were injured in a mob violence over a suspected robbery attempt at Puthia in Rajshahi the same day. In Sylhet, the police arrested seven people for their involvement in robbery. Two activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party were killed and 15 others injured in a clash over fishing in a government-owned pond in Sirajganj. A young man died after being shot and hacked by unnamed assailants in Khulna. In the first cabinet meeting of the government on February 18, the home minister said that improving law and order was its priority agenda for the next 180 days. The actions, however, remain limited to reshuffling and reorganising ranking positions and announcing ‘zero tolerance’ of crimes. The scenario suggests no tangible change in real terms.
Law and order has been a public concern in the period of political transition after the fall of the Awami League in August 2024. On February 28, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry leaders said that extortion has increased alongside a decline in law and order, creating uncertainty among entrepreneurs, who asked the government to ensure a business-friendly environment in the post-election period. On March 2, the Bangladesh Women’s Council held a rally protesting at the continued sexual violence and demanded women’s safety and freedom of movement. The disappointment and outrage are more than justified given that a number of rape and murder cases were reported in the past week. On March 1, a seven-year-old girl, with her throat slit, was rescued at Sitakunda Eco Park in Chattogram. On February 28, the police recovered bodies of an elderly woman and her teenage granddaughter in Pabna. They suspect that the girl was sexually assaulted. On February 26, another girl was raped and murdered in Narsingdi. While the police promptly arrested suspects in all these cases, the government needs to take urgent pre-emptive measures to prevent crimes.
The government should, therefore, come up with a time-bound action plan to contain violence and crimes and go beyond the emergency post-incident response. The government must demonstrate what it entails to realise its zero tolerance of crimes and violence. Both the ruling party and the opposition should also discipline their activists and supporters as the majority of recent violence involved factional clashes or conflicts over territorial control.
