Selective 'zero tolerance' can boomerang Faisal Rahim Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces arrested a gang of culprits at a hotel two weeks ago with equipment and special papers used to manufacture counterfeit currencies. The hotel belonged to a close relative of home minister Sahara Khatun. Acting on a tip-off from a gang member arrested in another part of the city, RAB mounted the raid and carried out the arrests and seizure of articles from a hotel room used in currency frauds. Along with it, they also arrested a boy who initially tried to resist the raid. The boy later disclosed his identity as the nephew of the home minister and the message was passed to her to verify the claim. It was a sensational operation and the RAB forces were on high alert on being resisted from the hotel management. But they became 'calm and obedient' suddenly when the home minister asked the forces to release the boy and treat the other culprits as per law. Newspapers carried out the news on the following day and obviously the nation was shocked to see the involvement of people of the home minister's extended family in such counterfeit business. It was more shocking as they saw the home minister got her nephew released from her own forces while the remaining culprits were sent to jail. Moreover, the release of the criminal came at a time when ministers are making frequent statements saying the Government is for 'zero tolerance' to terrorists, criminal gangs and other anti-social elements. On the other day state minister for home Tanzim Ahmed Suhel Taj announced the Government's zero tolerance policy at a meeting at the headquarters of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) attended by home minister Sahara Khatun herself and a dozen law makers. The meeting was convened to find ways of controlling bloody fights and confrontation centering control of business relating to disposal of 'jhute' or waste cloths of garment factories. Ruling party activists are on regular confrontation between groups within the party and those belonging to former ruling party BNP and its allies to control this business worth of crore Taka per year. He said the government would not tolerate destabilisation of the garment industry and such fighting centering the waste disposal. But the message was clear in the first instance directed on groups who control the business under the support of the former BNP government. One MP was said time has changed and obviously ruling party activists have the right to regain the business. And secondly, the ruling party leaders laid emphasis on bringing the young party activists under certain discipline to avoid fight among themselves. They must work out compromise to shun fighting, they said. Local MPs may play important role to broker peace, some participants suggested that bloody confrontation are on the rise to control the business between the supporters of contesting leaders within the ruling party such as at Narayangonj, Mirpur and other places. Moreover, Sahara Khatun said the Government is going to set up one 1850-member industrial police force to begin with, to patrol the garment industry zones and maintain peace and discipline to protect factories from attacks by workers under the leadership of certain unknown faces. Essentially it is a good move and although the process started earlier, this government is going to establish it to claim legitimate praise. But the growing criticism now finding way against the government relates to its zero tolerance policy. Without discrimination The question is whether such policy of zero tolerance will be equally applicable to all without discriminating between persons or groups and party affiliation. The currency counterfeit case from which the minister took out her nephew is an eye opener to it and the right groups may take up the issue to ensure fair treatment to all. It is clear when ministers speak of zero tolerance, they meant terrorist groups and opposition activists. Taj for instance recently sounded threats on the opposition BNP not to go for movement over Begum Zia's cantonment house. They would not be allowed to destabilise peace on the streets and warned of zero silence. 21 Tablig women Another instance of zero tolerance which has already backfired relates to the arrest of 21 women at Tablig center at Brisal. These women clad in head to feet 'burkah' were apprehended as members of outlawed JMB group. But local investigation later cleared them as honourable ladies from respectable families and some of them are highly educated. News reports by a Bengali daily said one of the ladies is the mother-in-law of an incumbent secretary of the government. Another lady is the mother-in-law of an in-service army major. Here people wonder whether the authorities are using the zero tolerance in the right context to nab the culprits or using it to victimise innocent public out of whims. Here too much politicisation of the policy is diverting the right spirit to wrong direction. Respectable old men Another instance of such zero tolerance is quite dismaying. Some respectable senior citizens at their old age now sit in 'tafsir' sessions every morning after fazar prayers at a mosque in the city's Eskaton Garden area. Recently, some political elements of the ruling party asked them to stop it and leave the venue after the prayer is over. Some of these people are former secretaries, bankers and people of such other professions. But as the sitting continued, some local elements became aggressive and in a recent event manhandled the attendants. One former senior banker was even physically assaulted while the group was ousted from the mosque. This group is now working to set up a new mosque management committee to ensure that only prayers would take place in the mosque, no more religious discussion in the sideline. Observers wonder if this is going to move too far under such growing zero tolerance policy and use of threats. Democratic society stands for accommodation, not zero tolerance to diverse religious and socio-political forces. They say any such coercion may prove counter-productive in the end. |
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