During general strike called in Bangladesh on June 27, 2010, members of the students and youth front of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League were openly seen on various roads with iron bars, field-hockey sticks and other weapons. They were mercilessly assaulting the opposition activists and leaders, while members of law enforcing agencies were seen giving protection and instigation to such unruly thuggish activists of the party in power.
Following such broad-day-light display of anarchism by the ruling party activists, a senior minister in the cabinet and general secretary of ruling Bangladesh Awami League, Syed Ashraful Islam said, his party would not take responsibility of the activities [anarchy] of the student front or youth front of his party for attacking the opposition activists during the general strike.
Meanwhile on the same day [June 27, 2010], members of infamous Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] accompanied by ruling party activists stormed into the 3-story residence of Bangladesh Nationalist Party [main opposition] leader and former minister Mirza Abbas, vandalized all the rooms as well physically assaulted his 95-year old mother Kamala Khatun, 12-year old daughter along with 20 more members of his family and party. The unruly members of Rapid Action Battalion mercilessly assaulted Mirza's wife Aforza Abbas. Valuables were looted from the house during such 'action'.
In a chocked voice, Kamala Khatun told reporters that, for the first time in her life, she has witnessed such atrocities of the members of law enforcing agencies. She said, her grand-daughter was also physically assaulted and humiliated by the members of Rapid Action Battalion and several ruling party activists.
Lt. Colonel Ziaul Ahsan, chief of RAB's intelligence wing said, they went inside the house and charged baton on the BNP workers there after brick chips has been thrown at them during the general strike. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office said, none of the members of Bangladesh Police were present when RAB entered the house of Mirza Abbas.
Giving quick reactions to such barbaric actions of the ruling party activists and members of law enforcing agencies including Rapid Action Battalion, people started sending reactions to newspaper offices.
They said, "Why and how members of law enforcing agencies went inside the residence of any citizen without a valid warrant of arrest."
Meanwhile, a ruling party lawmaker and former minister Barrister Abdul Matin Khosru expressed serious concern at the notoriety of members of Rapid Action Battalion. He said, "I saw on television [lawmen] beating up women after entering into a house; it is in no way acceptable. Bangladesh Awami League cannot do it. Who are these overenthusiastic people? They should be brought to account for their actions."
Though notoriety of the ruling party activists and several members of law enforcing agencies sparked harsh criticism even inside the ruling party, home minister Advocate Shahara Khatun thanked the lawmen for discharging their duties with 'courage' and 'patience'.
Commenting on such notoriety of the members of Rapid Action Battalion, Dhaka's leading English daily newspaper New Age in an editorial wrote: "The police actions against the pickets, especially inside the residence of some frontline BNP leaders, suggest that the ruling quarters were not willing to allow the opposition the space to exercise what they themselves acknowledge to be its democratic right to observe general strike. The law enforcers not only raided the houses of these leaders but also harassed everyone that came their way; women and children were not spared, either.
"The masterstroke, so to speak, came later on the day when the AL general secretary claimed that the ruling party would not shoulder the responsibility for the BCL attacks on pickets because 'Bangladesh Chhatra League is neither a front organisation nor an associate body of the Awami League as per the RPO [Representation of the People].' He insisted that the ruling party had 'no links with them but fraternal relations.' The 'fraternal relations' did seem to afford the BCL activists the scope to swoop on the pickets in the presence of, if not with assistance from, the law enforcers. If it were not hypocrisy, one wonders what is. Besides, if the ruling party does not take responsibility for the many misdeeds of the Bangladesh Chhatra League [student front of the ruling party], who will?"
Another leading English language newspaper The Daily Star said in editorial comment: "We find rather strange and unacceptable the comments of Syed Ashraful Islam, minister for local government and general secretary of the AL, that since there is 'no link' between his party and the Bangladesh Chattra League, the AL has no responsibility for the BCL's activities on the hartal day.
"What occasioned the remarks was the question raised by journalists regarding the anti-hartal activities of the BCL that led to clashes with Chattra Dal, in and around the campus and the Shahbag crossing, on the day of BNP-called hartal. We are not only surprised by his observations, we find these irresponsible and expedient too which neither behooves his position as a minister and particularly as general secretary of Awami League.
"We are afraid we cannot accept such comment, it being, to our mind, an attempt to shirk the responsibility by the party for what the BCL did on the 27th. As the Chattra League elements were seen engaged in clashes with the pro-hartal elements, the police were in very close proximity to the scene appearing as mute bystanders at the very least. One wonders what the source of the strength of the BCL is. And even for the sake of argument if one were to accept that the government adopted a hands-off policy on the BCL, was it not tantamount to abetment. Was it not an issue of law and order which the administration, the law enforcing agencies in particular, were duty-bound to address effectively and even handedly?
"We cannot believe that when all kinds of processions and picketing on the day of the hartal was banned by the administration in certain areas, an anti-hartal procession could have been brought out by the BCL without the back-up of sorts.
"Therefore, any attempt to disown the link between the BCL and the AL whenever things go wrong evoking adverse publicity, it appears not only convenient but also irresponsible on the part of high government and ruling party functionary such as Syed Ashraful Islam. It is patently disingenuous too. We wonder whether that is the position of the government. If that be so, government's credibility will be called into further question."
Police arrested hundreds of opposition activists and leaders during the general strike. Former minister Mirza Abbas, lawmaker Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anny, BNP's vice president and former Bangladeshi ambassador in Washington Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury are also arrested. Later, Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury was placed on remand for interrogation on charge of obstructing police from discharging duties and vandalizing vehicles during Sunday's general strike.
Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury is not only a former ambassador but also a veteran injured freedom fighter, who fought for the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. Bringing charge of vandalizing vehicles against him would sound absolutely funny if not rubbish. On the other hand, government's reluctance in taking any action against the members of Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] evidently proves that Bangladeshi politicians and opposition voices are under severe state-patronized terror.
Both Awami League and BNP claim to be democratic political party. But the way ruling party behaved during Sunday's general strike, it shows a very bad picture of the prevailing situation in Bangladesh. People are terming 'democracy' of these political parties as 'demoncracy' [demonic attitude under the garb of democracy]. Bangladeshi democracy has always been obstructed by various anti-democratic forces since independence of the country. Sunday's incidents, especially unruly behavior of the ruling party men as well as notoriety of the members of law enforcing agencies, particularly Rapid Action Battalion [RAB], which is led by military officers once again rings the alarming bell. The entire issue should be properly investigated and stern actions should be taken against each and every member of RAB, who were behind such nasty incident.
Hope Bangladeshi leaders will at least learn to behave sensibly and democratically. Otherwise, they entire nation will only suffer. We want a stable democracy. But, in no way, we can tolerate demoncracy.
http://www.weeklyblitz.net/826/bravo-bangladesh-hurray-demoncracy
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