It should be a satisfaction to the government that by police case and election management by police peaceful doors for peaceful opposition political parties have been locked up. Nobody can understand the reality that opposition is a part of political life and in the absence of normal politics violence will break out as expressions of anger. There will be a tendency among the general public to take law into own hands. If the police can kill people without trial in court why not the others? The incidents of death of alleged criminals by violent mob should be disturbing for any serious government capable of good governance.
Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal asked the government officials concerned that mob killing is a sign of breakdown of law and order. But the public impression is that police are not sufficiently active to face the mob and stop the mischief. The people are living in fear of police who can put anybody on crossfire. Likewise, they have to fear mob violence.
We find it encouraging that the High Court Division of the Supreme Court has issued a notice asking the government to explain as to why it should not direct to pay Taslima Begum Renu Taka one crore as compensation to the family who lost her life in a mob violence. It may seem to be a unique case for holding government responsible for loss of lives in the hands mob for the failure of police to give protection to life. To give protection to life with due process of law is a constitutional duty.
Such news has come out in the media that mass lynching took place when police remained at a safe distance. The idea is that the police are the people’s police for protecting life and property of the people needs to be reestablished. The government itself has no public accountability for not being elected by the people. As a result whole public affairs have no accountability.
At least eight people were killed and 25 others received injuries as suspicion of child abduction following rumours continued from June to July this year centering Padma Bridge to incite angry mobs across the country.
Mob killing is nothing new in Bangladesh. Data Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) shows that 797 people were killed by mobs in the country from 2011 till June 2019.
Of them, 134 people were killed in 2011, 126 in 2012, 128 in 2013, 127 in 2014, 135 in 2015, 51 in 2016, 50 in 2017, 39 in 2018 and 36 in the last six months of this year.
Although the number of mob killings was lower in 2016, 2017 and 2018, such brutal incidents were on the rise again in 2019, the data showed.
According to ASK, most of the mob killings last year took place in Dhaka Division, where 356 people were killed in the past eight-and-a-half years. During the same period, 211 people were killed in Chattogram Division, 79 in Rajshahi, 101 in Khulna, 29 in Barishal, 22 in Sylhet, and 24 in Rangpur.
Statistics provided by another rights organisation, Odhikar, show that at least 115 people have been killed by mobs since 2009. Of them, 127 people were killed in 2009, 174 in 2010, 161 in 2011, 132 in 2012, 125 in 2013, 116 in 2014, 132 in 2015, 53 in 2016, 47 in 2017 and 48 in 2018.
Presently, the government itself is setting bad examples of allowing police to kill alleged offenders too often. The reason is shown there was an exchange of fire with the killers. The police feel assured that they are free to kill people in a confrontation with the persons alleged to have committed some offences they can shoot to kill. There is no accountability to prove in court that such killing was unavoidable. The police enjoy immunity to kill anybody. Whereas their duty is to protect life.
In any view of the matter such killing by police does not establish that a criminal has been punished. Killings by mob are to be seen killing innocent people as they have not been found guilty by a court to have committed any crime.
Killing people by police cannot be regarded as killing of criminals in line with the law. They are killing innocent people in the eyes of law. They can kill in self-defence but that has also to be proved in court.
Unless the police are good examples of acting in obedience to law it is impossible to expect to build a law abiding society. No government that uses police power for the politics of running the country can have a disciplined police force. Under the present government both police killing and mob killing are now happening routinely.
The police can be condemned harshly who are found to be engaged in crimes, especially rape. This is an awful image for the police community. But the real blame should lie with the ministers because police stuffed the ballot boxes for the government to win the election.
If the police were not used for election dacoity they could not think of that they are the ‘king makers’. So the police think the government should be grateful to them and would not punish them. Most damaging thing is that the political leaders by using police for doing illegalities for the politics of remaining in power police discipline is near breaking point. The police are now a political power and not the law enforcers. It is pure and simple.
Politics is producing criminals. Unless miracle happens government will fall apart in chaos of angry violence.
