An attempted bank robbery in Dhaka's Keraniganj on Thursday left people waiting with bated breath for several hours. People are relieved that the bank hostage incident ended without bloodshed, but the overall law and order situation in the country is not over. Rather, one after another murders, robberies, robberies and thefts are creating insecurity in people's minds.
After the fall of the Awami League government in a student uprising on August 5, the law and order situation deteriorated due to the lack of police for a few days. But even though the police station is active and the police are back to work, there is no peace in the public mind about law and order. As a result, the law and order situation is improved and bringing back the sense of comfort and security among the people is a big challenge for the administration and the police, crime analysts think.
When asked about the overall law and order situation yesterday, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Home Affairs Advisor of the Interim Government, said, 'We are trying hard to improve the law and order situation. Initiatives have been taken to revive police activities. I hope everything will be fine.'
Many are blaming the inaction of the police for the current law and order situation. They say that people's anger and lack of confidence in the police for their controversial role during the ousted Awami League government came out on August 5. Attacks, looting, arson were carried out in various police establishments including the police station. Some policemen also lost their lives. A few days after the interim government took over, the policemen returned to work, but their security fears did not go away. Although the army personnel are there to help, the police personnel are not fully active in the field due to this fear. Criminals are taking advantage of this. Law and order situation is deteriorating.
When asked about the deteriorating law and order situation yesterday, Police Headquarters Spokesperson and Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Enamul Haque Sagar told Ajker newspaper, 'Instructions have been given to handle the situation by meeting with the police officers at the field level. We are working to restore public confidence. Criminality will decrease soon.'
An example of the deteriorating law and order situation was the attempted bank robbery by three teenagers at Rupali Bank's Jinjira branch in Keraniganj's Chunkutia yesterday. They entered the bank with toy pistols and knives and took everyone hostage. They surrendered after about 4 hours of efforts by police, RAB and army. The breathless wait is over.
A few hours before this, small businessman Kamrul Hasan (23) was killed by robbers on the slope of Sayedabad end of Hanif flyover at around 9 pm last Wednesday. Bangladesh Krishi Bank Employees Union President Abdul Halim (63) who was beaten up near Biman office in Motijheel at around 12 o'clock in the night, died in the night at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. On the same night, a housewife was stabbed to death in Aftabnagar. However, the family alleges that the husband killed her.
On Wednesday, four people were killed and hundreds injured in a clash between two sides of the Tablighi Jamaat over the possession of the Biswa Ijtema ground at Turagatir in Tongi, on the outskirts of the capital. Three students who took part in the anti-discrimination student movement were 'assassinated' this week. Apart from this, two students including a school student were stabbed to death in counter-attacks by two sides during a ceremony organized on the occasion of Victory Day at Nachole in Chapainawabganj on Tuesday.
Almost every day there are murders in different parts of the country. According to the police data, there have been at least 33 murders in the country in the last two months. After the murder, the bodies were dumped in the bushes.
Abu Bakr Majumdar, the coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, said that the law and order situation in the country is becoming increasingly dire. The brutal killing of two university students and an unidentified person in a span of just 6 days has shown a terrible picture of the security system of the society; On the other hand, the failure of law and order forces is being pointed out.
Robbery is common. Robbery is happening not only at night or in secluded areas, but also in public areas. Ayesha Akhter, a housewife of Moghbazar, was robbed in a busy area like Shahbagh on the afternoon of December 15. Three youths snatched Ayesha's iPhone and bag at knifepoint while she was walking along the sidewalk with her husband and children. He said, 'Such an incident near the Shahbag police station is unthinkable. Even after two days, when we remember the incident, we tremble with fear.'
Robberies and thefts have also increased. But all the complaints of robberies, robberies and thefts do not go to the police station. As a result, the real picture of these crimes is not known.
In some districts including Dhaka, several video footages of gunmen's violence and open attacks or running with chapati-ramdas have recently spread on social media. In particular, a group of young people with sharp weapons surrounded a young woman and dragged her, pulling her veil and throwing it on the street while the young woman tried to run away – people were shocked to see such a scene. People were also alarmed by the scene of the robbery of two youths standing in front of a traffic jam in Banani one evening with chapati in hand.
In Noakhali, there have been allegations of gang rape of mother and daughter recently. Driver killed during robbery of CNG-powered auto-rickshaw in Kasba, Brahmanbaria. A man was killed by a robber after withdrawing money from a bank in Syedpur.
Abu Taleb, a businessman living in Dhaka, told Ajker newspaper that the weakness of security is allowing such incidents to happen again and again. The streets are no longer patrolled by police. Street lights don't light up. If someone is in danger and goes to the police station, the police do not take a complaint. How can people get courage? By seeing these criminals are getting courage to commit crimes.
Crime experts are saying almost the same thing. According to them, law enforcement agencies are not able to play an active role in the changing situation. Apart from this, many policemen are not taking immediate action due to the fear of falling into a new adverse situation. Due to these reasons, law and order is deteriorating, which is creating anxiety in public life.
Dhaka University professor and social and crime analyst Touhidul Haque said that they have fallen into a moral crisis due to the controversial role of the police during the agitation. At the same time, criminals are taking advantage of the hesitancy to take immediate action. But this cannot be allowed to continue. Law enforcement personnel must take swift action. Where there is crime, their presence must be ensured. Only then will people's minds be freed from fear. The situation will also improve.
