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Has the cycle of violence returned?

Published : Wednesday, 31 March, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 660

Has the cycle of violence returned?

Has the cycle of violence returned?

Bangladesh has been on deadly violence over the last four days from its 50th Independence Day on March 26. The violence triggered by the Islamic group Hefazat-e-Islam, is likely to spread as the main anti-government Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) after remaining subdued for the last six years seemed to have been encouraged to battle against the law enforcers.

The violent protest by BNP in the port city Chattogram on Monday has depicted the new encouragement and the revivalism of the party, which has been on the back-foot since the thrashing it received from the law enforcers following its nationwide deadly transport blockade in the first quarter of 2015.

Over the last four days police brought the situations under control at every spot, but the efforts ended with casualties, which included at least five in Dhaka and Chattogram on March 26, maligning the significance of the country's golden jubilee of independence and the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

More than a dozen people, mostly bystanders and passersby, were killed in the violence with bullet wounds till Monday, March 29. With the latest round of violence Bangladesh has seen the return of a cycle of deadly violence triggered by Hefazat, which has successfully spread the mayhem to some important spots of the country, despite the authorities restricted facebook and messenger apps drastically.

After the eruption of the violence that took a toll of a man in Dhaka on March 26, the mayhem sparked in the afternoon at Hathazari in Chattogram where at least four people were shot dead in police firing when the violent protesters attacked police station, government offices and key installations

However, the people ignored the hartal called on Sunday last by Hefazat to protest against police action on its activists on March 26. The life was normal in all cities including the capital Dhaka and the port city Chattogram. The poor response to hartal call also showed people's apathy to work stoppages. The people are also convinced that the country's economic achievements lauded by important world leaders during the country's recent celebrations of golden jubilee of independence were possible due to the political stability enjoyed by the country in the last 12 years.

However, during the period the country experienced some brief, but deadly and notorious violence in 2013 and 2015. For the sake of stability, according to political observers, the authorities should be prudent to keep the country violence free by strictly enforcing order as it did in the past. At the same time the administrations must allow peaceful political activities and strictly enforce order to eradicate all sort of violence.

Simultaneously police should remain alert for any consequences when opposition parties, student organisations and religious groups throw political programmes. After the last Saturday's deadly violence by Hefazat at Hathazari, Chattogram police reportedly said, they were not prepared to tackle the violence as they had thought that a religious people could go for violence.

Political observers also say, police or ruling party activists should not obstruct opposition or rival parties including Islamic groups in holding rallies and street marches unless they turn violent. But past experiences say that activists of most opposition parties turn violence even without provocation at certain stage of political campaign.

According to eye witnesses, violence sparked in Dhaka on March 26, when Hefazat activists were attacked at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque by pro ruling party cadres activists when Hefazat activists raised slogans against the visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Later police intervened when Hefazat retaliated. Witnesses said, had there been no attack, Hefazat would not have gone violent and their campaign would have ended peacefully. Hefazat leaders before and after the violence said their protest was not against the government or against the celebrations but against Modi who was liable for killing thousands of Muslims at his home state Gujarat and other part of India.

Hefazat-e-Islam that traditionally takes care of countrywide madrasa education, captured the news headlines after its more than 50,000 activists had laid siege of Shapla Chattar in Dhaka on May 5 and 6 in 2013 to realise certain demands. They put Motijheel, the business district of the capital in inferno burning roadside shops and merchandise worth billions of take on May 5. They maintained the siege before police evicted them in a swift and dramatic three prong assault at the dawn of May 6. More than a dozen people were killed in the eviction drive. But Hefazat claimed that 3000 people had been killed. However, it failed to prove claim. Then BNP chairperson Begum Khalifa Zia supported the siege and urged the people to join the Hefazat campaign. But general ignored her call.

Subsequently the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina befriended the largest Islamic pressure group accepting some demands including recogniding the highest madrasa degree Dawra Hadis equivalent to Masters Degree in Islamic History. But die hard anti ruling party group with Hefazat was active and after the resignation and the subsequent death of the Hefazat Amir Moulana Ahmad Shafi in a controversial circumstances, a new leadership emerged criticising the incumbent government.

However, as the casualty figures are bit high and the incident occurred on a historic day, the government will have to face opposition criticism for a long time in future. It must be prudent to absorb the criticism and should quickly say sorry to the people for the accidental incident.
The writer is Business Editor,
The Daily Observer







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