Why govt condemn only instead of ensuring justice

There can be no doubt about how dire the law-and-order situation in the country has become. Almost every day incidents of attacks, vandalism, mugging, extortion, murder, mob violence and various other law violations are taking place somewhere in the country, and instead of taking strong legal action against these, the government is issuing condemnations and protests. Is condemnation and protest really the duty of the government?

On 29 August, a clash broke out between the activists of Jatiya Party and Gono Odhikar Parishad. In that incident, Gono Odhikar leader Nurul Haque Nur and many others were injured by assaults from law enforcement. Various video footages showed members of the law enforcement agencies brutally beating Nur. After this incident, at around 11pm, legal adviser Asif Nazrul wrote on his personal Facebook page: “I strongly condemn and protest the barbaric attack on VP Nurul Haque Nur.”

Dhaka University anthropology teacher Jobaida Nasreen raised a question: where, as a key person of the government, the law adviser should have taken action against those who attacked Nur, instead he protested against his own government. People’s surprise was reinforced by another adviser, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan. On Facebook, he claimed: “The responsibility for the attack on Nurul Haque Nur must be taken by the interim government.”

Then, the incident of last Friday (5 September) was even more bewildering. The people of the country witnessed an atrocity almost medieval in nature. In Goalanda of Rajbari, a group of people exhumed the body of Nurul Haque Molla, also known as Nura Pagla, and set it on fire. In response, the interim government issued a statement strongly condemning the incident. The statement read: “The interim government strongly condemns the desecration of the grave of Nurul Haque Molla, also known as Nura Pagla, in Goalanda and the burning of his body. This inhuman and heinous act is a direct attack on our values, our laws, and the fundamental foundations of a just and civilised society.”

This raises the question—who is this appeal addressed to? Alongside, another question arises—are they not the government? Or is it true that another government is active within the government? On social media and in public spaces, people are now openly discussing—who actually holds the real control of the present interim government? Why is the government so submissive? So soft? When the law-and-order situation of the country is extremely fragile, why does the government speak in such a mild tone instead of acting firmly? Why does it condemn instead of ensuring justice?

We do not have the answers to these questions. But what we want from the government is justice, not protest. If the government fails to control this wave of mob violence right now, the future of Bangladesh will head towards deep darkness.