THE captors of North South University teacher Mubashar Hasan were divided over whether to kill him or not, before finally freeing him early on Friday. His return came just three days after journalist Utpal Das was found in Narayanganj, 71 days after his abduction from the capital’s Dhanmondi area. Moreover, a banker, businessmen and a municipality mayor were also found after being abducted. The greatest surprise is: The government does not know who are responsible for secret killings and secret disappearances. And the government is not ashamed of such failure.
There is no reason to believe that the missing people have returned because of the law enforcers’ active and efficient operations, since not only on a single occasion the police could rescue at least one from their respective abductors. On the contrary, Home Minister Assaduzzaman Khan Kamal has only to say that the government is not responsible and the matter is being investigated. Depending on the amount of information provided by the missing persons returned our police and intelligence agencies have yet not been able to show any success in catching the culprits. This cannot be unless the law-enforcing agencies are thoroughly incompetent which we cannot accept. Another possibility is that those who are responsible for secret disappearances and secret killings enjoy protection of highest order. Motive may be to create panic and cause silence about the wrongs of the government. The trend is dangerous for organising a civilised country for safety and security of life.
People expend crores of taka to maintain police and security agencies and they justify their existence by proving safety of life. No excuse is acceptable. If there is another government outside the government it is the worst both for the government and the people.
In the missing journalist Utpal’s case, according to news reports, Utpal was dropped off by a microbus after 71 days of captivity. The abductors keep their victims days and months without the fear of being found out by our law-enforcing agencies.
The nonchalant behaviour of some law enforcers does little to instil public confidence in these agencies. In fact, the lack of seriousness on the part of the law enforcement agencies only serves to raise suspicion in the public mind.
Bangladesh belongs to us all and those who are engaged in creating panic in public life must know they have no other country to live. So do not make the country panic-stricken to deny good and safe life to all.
The government has to own the crimes of secret disappearances and secret killings and must stop. It cannot be incompetent even to provide security of life. We are heading to a dangerous situation for which we shall all repent.
