Staff Reporter :
Security analysts on Wednesday complained of deteriorated security situation elsewhere in the country amid sensational murder and target killing one after another, blaming the authorities of turning a blind eye to check the situation.
Expressing grave concern over such rampant incidents, they said these events have created an atmosphere of panic and sense of lawlessness among people.
“In fact, life has become insecure across the country. The constitutional responsibility of any government is to ensure safety, security of life and property of its citizens. But the present government of Bangladesh is failing to perform this duty miserably,” Major General (Retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Bir Protik, told The New Nation on Wednesday.
He said the fact that people are being killed on any excuse in Bangladesh is now talk of the world not of the country alone.
“I feel that law-enforcing agencies of Bangladesh are failing to perform their duty for at least three reasons. Firstly, they are giving priority to the political interest of the government rather than the interest of the people.
Secondly, their efficiency and professionalism are not targeted to the service of the people instead targeted to safeguarding a political coterie. Thirdly, political bias has influenced recruitment and promotion policy of the law-enforcing agencies, seriously jeopardizing their professionalism,” he added.
When asked, General Ibrahim said, there is no point of denying the existence of extremists and militants of various sheds in the country, therefore, they need to be countered but unfortunately the political government of Bangladesh is attributing the anarchy and rampant killings to their political opposition namely BNP and 20 party alliance.
The government must rethink its activities if murders and assassinations are to be stopped.
Commenting on Police Chief’s advice to the countrymen to build security cordons for themselves, General Ibrahim said, if people are to organise their own safety, two implications may arise. First one, what the police for if the people are to protect themselves?
Secondly, in the process of protecting themselves, people or local protection forces are likely to take law in their own hands.
“The ongoing wave of target killings in a similar style has raised security concern among people. Islamic State (IS) is apparently claiming responsibility for these incidents including two murder of Kalabagan but the law-enforcing agencies are yet to come out with any credible and concrete evidence regarding their claim. Even they are yet to find out motive behind the killings raising question over their efficiency and professionalism,” Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain told The New Nation yesterday.
He said, in the last two years, a number of secularist bloggers have been killed by Islamist extremists.
“The investigations into most of these cases are still dragging on amid an agonisingly long delay. The failure to secure justice for these incidents creates a sense of lawlessness, where local terrorist groups also feel that with poor investigation performance by the investigators it is possible to get away with serious crimes further deteriorating the law and order situation in the country,” he opined.
Sakhawat Hossain, a security analyst, also said that the situation has damaged Bangladesh’s image abroad and this may leave a negative impact on our foreign trade and investment.
The law-enforcement agencies should work more cautiously about targeted killings and run a proper investigation into the incidents. Besides, a joint effort is needed to tackle pre-planned murders in Bangladesh.
