Bring criminals to book quickly

As time passes, the situation in Bangladesh continues to become more unstable. Incidents resembling something out of a movie are unfolding across the country, and no one knows when it will stop. The events that took place in Gazipur last Friday night and throughout Saturday were completely unexpected. Since the attack on the house of former Minister of Liberation War Affairs, AKM Mozammel Haque, Gazipur has been in turmoil. Seven people were injured in the attack and are currently receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. In protest of this incident, on Saturday, throughout the day, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement organized rallies and protests in the district town. They claimed that the attackers were supporters of the Awami League and issued an ultimatum to arrest them within 24 hours. Meanwhile, it was reported that one of the protesters was injured in the evening when criminals fired shots at them.

On Sunday (February 9), media reports revealed that on the night of Friday, February 7, an attack and beating took place on students at the house of former Minister AKM Mozammel Haque in the Dhirashram area of Gazipur. The students stated that upon hearing about the attack and looting at the house, they went to resist it, but were subsequently attacked. Around 15-16 people were injured in the incident, and one of them is in critical condition.

The question is, why would students go to the house to stop the attack? That’s the job of the police. And indeed, the police did arrive—but two hours after being called. In the afternoon, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Nazmul Karim Khan attended the protest program organized by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. During this time, he and senior police officers faced the anger of the students. Later, in the presence of Hasnat and Sarjis, Nazmul Karim Khan addressed the crowd and said, "On behalf of the police force, I apologize for the incident on Friday night. I acknowledge my failure. No one involved in the attack will be spared. I will take action against all police officers who delayed to respond."

Later that night, in protest, students from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement held a rally in the city. On Saturday, additional protests and rallies were planned. From the morning, activists of the movement from various parts of the district arrived in small groups and gathered on Rajbari Road in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Their protest caused traffic to be blocked on that road. In the afternoon, the organization's convener Hasnat Abdullah and central coordinator Sarjis Alam joined the protest program.

Sarjis said, "If the criminals, accomplices of killer Hasina and Jahangir, try to create disturbances in Gazipur again, the students and public will not spare them. On Friday, they made many of our comrades bleed. They have threatened to take the lives of our comrades. We want to tell the interim government, who will ensure the safety of the lives of the students and the public, who gave their lives to bring you to power? Why does the police administration, which has put those same officials back in their chairs, only come to the streets after incidents like this, straight out of a Bengali film?" He continued, the criminals from Hasina's Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League are still roaming freely in Gazipur.

"These terrorists are still threatening my warriors on social media. If the interim government, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the police fail to arrest those involved in Friday's attack by tonight (Saturday), we will have to take a stand against them."

Analyzing the situation, it seems that law and order in the country is still not functioning properly. Everything is being carried out through threats and intimidation. If the police neglect their duties and need to use such threats to get work done, it will lead to trouble. And how are the allies of fascists still managing to maintain their rule? A thorough investigation into this incident is crucial. The law enforcement agencies themselves must take the law into their own hands. If ordinary people take the law into their own hands due to the failure of the authorities, it will not be beneficial for the state. The police must quickly arrest the criminals. This is the only way to make up for their previous failure. If the criminals are not swiftly brought to justice, such crimes will continue to rise.