HUNDREDS of family members have been crowding the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court premises in Old Dhaka everyday to get their near and dear ones arrested for violating the lockdown rules released. According to media reports on Thursday, over 4,000 people have so far been arrested and taken to the CMM court till Wednesday for defying Covid restrictions.
Police have been detaining lockdown violators under Section 77 of the DMP Ordinance 1976 violation of which is punishable with fine which may extend to two hundred Taka.” The Section described the offence as, “Whoever willfully puts, presses, hustles or obstructs any passenger in any street or public place, or by violent movement, menacing gesture, screaming, shouting, willful frightening any animal or otherwise disturbs the public peace and order.” DMP sources said the arrestees are only those who are going out without any reason, irrespective of being rich or poor.
The court is now bustling with relatives of arrestees and lawyers crowding police vans carrying the detained ones. There are allegations of taking excess money from the family members of arrested persons. According to a woman, a man introducing himself as a lawyer, told her that it would cost Tk 1,500 to free her husband. She believed him and paid the money. But later she came to know that her husband was fined Tk 100 for defying lockdown.
It is to be noted that the government has extended the strict restrictions for another week to contain the surge in corona infections. The restrictions will continue till midnight on July 14. In another four to five days, the holy Eid-ul-Azha holidays will begin. If the situation does not improve dramatically, strict lockdown may continue until the Eid holidays. In that case, the whole country will be under the restrictions for more than three weeks. The question is how would the poor people survive as their daily earnings have been hit hard due to the restrictions. It has become hard for the poor to arrange three square meals a day, let alone meeting other needs.
Under the circumstances, the government immediately needs to find a way to assist the poor people, with cash or food or both. Otherwise, it is impossible to make people keep indoors and remain hungry. The government must immediately extend food support to the poor if the lockdown is to be effective. Otherwise, large-scale arrest of the poor will not help improve the situation.
