Five slaughtered in Pabna

The motive behind the killing of the fishermen in Pabna remains shrouded in doubt and no one has yet been arrested in connection with the gruesome incident. Locals believe that the killings are connected to the payment of toll that gangsters had demanded from the fishermen, and the local police are pursuing leads that the killings may be the result of an internal conflict among the gangsters, and that the five killed were themselves outlaws.

One thing which is clear is that crime in the country is out of control and the police seem utterly incapable of adequately handling the situation. Day before yesterday we reported on the murder of eleven members of one family by dacoits in Banshkhali and it seems as though criminal gangs can terrorise the population at large with impunity.

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An anti-crime drive is currently active in the south-west of the country but we have undertaken such crackdowns in the past with no noticeable long-term benefit. What is now necessary is wide-spread and systematic police reform so that we have the resources and the will to tackle the criminality that runs rampant.

All over the country people live in fear of extortionists and gangsters, with the police seemingly unable or unwilling to be able to provide the public with the security it deserves. It is becoming increasingly apparent that whatever current measures are in place to check crime are insufficient, and that top-to-bottom long-term police reform is needed so that the law and order situation can be brought under control.

The government which campaigned on bringing back law and order to the country must make it a top priority and deliver on its pledge.