Dhaka, Sept 20: “The lack of visible legal consequences” for the heinous acts of mob lynching in Bangladesh was sending a “dangerous message” that “the rule of law is dead, and mob violence is the new normal,” claimed an article in the country’s leading media outlet.
With close to two dozen citizens reportedly falling victim to mob lynching in the last 40 days after the Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus-led Interim Government took over on August 8, the signed article published in Bangladesh’s popular English newspaper Daily Star has rued that “no visible action has been taken” by the relevant authorities in response to these incidents.
“In recent weeks, Bangladesh has witnessed a terrifying surge in mob justice, exposing both the lawlessness in certain segments of society and the utter failure of the interim government to ensure basic security.
“This alarming trend reflects the harsh reality of the state of governance in the country and raises questions about our national conscience,” journalist Arafat Rahaman said in the opinion piece.
The article referred to the lynching of former Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders at Jahangirnagar and Rajshahi universities, besides the “savage klling” of a suspected thief at Dhaka University, and said it showed the public has “no trust in the country’s legal and justice system.”
“These lynched individuals were entitled to the most basic human right: the right to a fair trial, irrespective of their alleged crimes or misconduct. Instead, the mob took over and assumed the roles of judge, jury, and executioner,” said the article.
While conceding that one of the victims, Shamim Ahmed, was allegedly involved in attacking quota reform protesters as well as in criminal activities like drug dealing, land grabbing, and extortion, Rahaman asked whether that justifies his “execution at the hands of students.”
The articles said the failure of Bangladesh’s legal and judicial system over the past several decades “to apprehend and penalise alleged criminals” was now being exploited by mobs.
“Plus, almost all regimes in Bangladesh have been unable-and at times unwilling-to address these issues, only fuelling the public’s growing sense that mob justice is acceptable,” Rahaman wrote.
The article also pulled up the now ousted Awami League government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, saying despite being in power for over 15 years, it did little to bring the perpetrators of mob killings to justice.
According to the rights body Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a total of 32 people died in mob beatings between January and June this year when Hasina was in saddle.
Last year, 51 people were killed in mob lynching incidents; 36 people were killed in 2022; and 28 in 2021.
However, the article said, “What is most disturbing about the current mob violence is that the perpetrators come from the same student community that just two months ago risked their lives fighting against the Sheikh Hasina-led government, toppling it with the promise of a fairer Bangladesh.”
“Worryingly, the inaction of the interim government has not only encouraged these mobs but has also created a toxic environment where such acts of violence are apparently tolerated. The lack of visible legal consequences for these heinous acts sends a dangerous message: that the rule of law is dead, and mob violence is the new normal,” Rahaman said.
“Now it appears that the dream of justice is slipping away, with blood being shed in the name of mob vengeance. If this interim government fails to deliver justice, the consequences for our society will be devastating, and the hope for a just and fair Bangladesh will fade into oblivion,” the article concluded. (UNI)
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