This is undeniable that police have long been accused of filing false criminal cases against thousands of people for every violent incident in recent years. But the opposition parties claim most of those targeted were their leaders, workers or supporters, and that the government used the law enforcement agency to crack down on its political rivals.
Fictitious cases were also allegedly filed against many people who were dead, sick or worked abroad during the period of the falsely claimed incidents.
Although the video footages and photos have shown that the recent countrywide mayhem was unleashed by Hefajat-e-Islam Bangladesh, only a handful of people of this Islamist organisation have been made accused in cases over the violence. As Hefajat called protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh to attend the country’s Golden Jubilee celebrations and the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, its demonstrations turned violent in certain districts, including Brahmanbaria, Chattogram and Dhaka. In Bangladesh, police can file criminal complaints against anyone without having to provide any evidence, whereas charging them officially with a crime takes place in the court and requires a level of evidence that the person charged was likely to have been involved in the crime.
There were allegations of widespread impunity for the law enforcing agencies for extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, torture and cases of cruel, inhuman treatment, unlawful detentions, arbitrary arrests of journalists and human rights activists, substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, restricting political participation and independent trade unionism.
According to media reports, at least 20,000 people, including 300 identified ones, have been accused in about 28 cases over a series of violent protests carried out by the Hefazat-e-Islam, but none of its top leaders have been indicted in any of the cases. Over 50 people have so far been arrested across the country, according to sources at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the police headquarters. However, the leaders and activists of other parties are being arrested for their alleged involvement and instigation over the violent incidents.
While the government denies the abuses, several international human rights groups say they have documented human rights violations committed by the country’s police and other law enforcement agencies. Occasionally, police or ruling party activists allegedly use force to disperse demonstrations.
Police case politics is dehumanising politics and overburdening the judiciary. We have politicians without the ability do politics and do not know what is all about. So they have perverted politics into police cases and criminalisation of politics. Because, to the breed of incompetent politicians politics means enjoying power with out knowing how to run a government for the good of the people. The country is most unfortunate for not having political leaders for too long a time. We cannot expect political leadership to establish the government in terms of the Constitution we still have.
So we appeal to the judiciary to save itself from police politics by political case coming to courts. Politics cannot be adjudicated, it is destroying the judiciary by making politics controversial.
