THE lynching of seven persons in three districts as reported by The New Nation on Thursday showed that bandits and criminals are ravaging the countryside taking advantage of the break-down of the law and order at all levels.
The Law Minister Anisul Haque yesterday supported the formation of a judicial inquiry committee on several reported crossfire that killed about half dozen ruling party activists in the past few days. In our view such inquiry committee should also investigate the lynching of people – be they robbers or anything else. Because we are alarmed by growing use of crossfire and extra-judicial killing and now lynching which are undermining the rule of law and the right of an accused to defend in the court of laws.
Reports said, four persons were lynched on Wednesday evening at Chapainawabganj when they attempted to snatch away a motorcycle from its rider. People gathered at the spot hearing his call for help hacked them to death. What appears highly alarming is the criminals with political connection are active in the roads, highways and villages. But their lynching by unruly mob without handing over the culprits to police is equally alarming because the society can’t succumb to mob justice avoiding the court of law. It appears a total lawlessness is gripping the nation when police are otherwise busy to gag the opposition and ensure government control over the nation.
As per the reports two bandits were also hacked to death by angry mob at a Narsingdi village where people live in constant fear as bandits regularly carry out raids on their villages. There were more bandits who were able to escape. So the villagers later laid siege on Monohardi police station demanding safety of their villages. Question arises if police don’t give protection to the villagers what they are doing otherwise that force the villagers to lay siege on the police station. The seventh person was hacked to death in Gazipur but the cause of slaying was not clear.
Our daily in another report yesterday said at least three females, including a hospitalized girl in Lama Health Complex at Bandarbon and a teenage in the capital were raped in the last 36 hours since Tuesday. The third victim is a cotton mill worker at Jessore. Her colleague violated her at the workplace. The media was abuzz last week reporting on the rape and poisoning to death of two school girls at Madaripur. But new rape incidents in a hospital and factory just showed that the criminalization of the society is at its peak at the moment and any remedial measures need to be started from the top. When the political leaders become corrupt denying good governance to the nation; and moreover become dependent on thugs to hold grip on power, criminals on their part become desperate to vandalize the society that include rape and killing.
No civilized nation can remain helpless in the face of madness of killing, lynching, rape and disappearances. Blaming the incompetence of government is having no improvement of the human crisis.
The government will not understand abusing police power means inviting lawlessness of the armed ones everywhere. Crossfire killing is too dangerous for running a law abiding country.
