In the 2024 book Syndicates and Societies: Criminal Politics in Dhaka (published by Cambridge University Press), David Jackman notes that these syndicates operate under the control of specific groups and are run in a strict manner. The leaders of such networks also control the “mental production” of followers to sustain a constant state of emotional agitation. Jackman describes this situation as “When Crime Is Order”—that is, when crime itself takes the form of governance.

If such activities continue unchecked, they gradually begin to gain social acceptance. A lack of accountability online ultimately creates similar opportunities in offline spaces. Nobel laureate Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, in her book How to Stand Up to a Dictator, writes that online impunity very naturally transforms into offline impunity, which can undermine existing systems of checks and balances.

The space for dissenting views and alternative ideologies in society is gradually shrinking. A culture of fear is spreading. Once, it was the fear of authoritarian misrule; now, the threat posed by extremist religious groups is haunting people. Embedded within this climate of fear are the potential elements of violence. In a society marked by fear and deprivation, human rights or civil rights cannot flourish. As a result, progressive forces are weakening, and society is moving steadily toward an uncertain darkness.