Ominous state of affairs

Who is Bangla Bhai? As per report of the media he is Siddikul Islam alias Azizul Islam alias X alias Y alias Z and so on that a man of his profession and character will need and love to assume as his name at different times and different places that he will choose opportune and suitable to conduct his assigned operations.

Bangla Bhai styled himself as the commander of an Islamist outfit named Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) and set up camps at Bagmara, Atrai, Raninagar, Naldanga etc of Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon districts. He told he had come to liquidate the sarbaharas. He asserted his mission was to establish Islamic rule. When asked by the journalists he said that the police and administration would help him in his job ensuring that he had talks with Deputy Minister for Land, local MPs, SP Rajshahi, local leaders etc.

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Bangladesh is held by many as a safe haven of terrorists and criminals. Yet probably never before has the nation witnessed a terrorist like the character of Bangla Bhai who performed his job of persecuting all those he considered his enemies by public declaration and display. Horribly gory was the way he tore his victims like relaying their death moan over microphone, keeping a corpse hanging from tree upside down -- reminding one of Sultan Ghias Uddin Balban of medieval age who erected gallows on the threshold of the capital Delhi and executed the rebels in public to warn of the consequences of insurgency.

Of course, this is nothing new of such armed cadres appearing here and there preferably in rural areas now and then in the name of religion and political ideology, collecting tolls and ransoms, killing and maiming victims handsomely. Painfully, almost all major political parties, all governments have more or less used these armed cadres to further their selfish ends. Bangla Bhai was no exception to collecting tolls, ransoms from the locals besides killing, wounding many of his choice. Still he stood out as someone quite different from and more potential than his predecessor terrorists for obvious reasons.

Firstly, the entire police force of the locality remained absolutely refrained from taking cognizance of the criminal acts committed by his armed cadres. Sometimes they sided with Bangla Bhai terming his activities as a social movement to protect the people by fighting down the sarbaharas.

Secondly, the Deputy Minister for Land, local MPs, main ruling party political leaders and activists all through connived at the unlawful acts of Bangla Bhai's cadres. At times they were even open to express their approval. The Deputy Minister for Land went to the length of comparing the agenda of Bangla Bhai with Natore's stick and whistle committee. This is not anyway tenable. The latter is a duly government registered organisation meant for protecting the business community of the locality from aggression and extortion of the terrorists whereas Bangla Bhai's regiments are just the opposite in aim and action.

Thirdly, the order of the Ministry of Home to arrest Bangla Bhai went shelved without causing any concern to the order issuing authority.

Fourthly and most importantly, even the order of the Prime Minister to apprehend Bangla Bhai remained disobeyed by the petty officials of the local police units. This unfolds a story full of thrills and amusements.

As appeared in the newspapers, PM's order to arrest Bangla Bhai reached Rajshahi on May 21, 2004. The following day , May 22, 2004 Bangla Bhai staged a massive showdown. With his armed cadres and supporters numbering about three thousand riding trucks, buses, motorcycles, cars etc. wielding openly sticks, swords, spears etc. Bangla Bhai led a resounding procession through a long route from Bagmara to Rajshahi city accompanied by police escorts on motor van at the front and rear of the procession. Bangla Bhai met Rajshahi DC, SP and handed over his memoranda. To sanctify that order of the highest body of the government Bangla Bhai was required to be tracked down and captured forthwith by the law enforcement agency. Surprisingly when that most wanted accused came all the way to meet the police officials at their offices what he received were warmth and niceties from their end. This news hit the headlines of national dailies. The PM must have read it.

However, Bangla Bhai's stay as a parallel government not only under the nose of the police but actually under their patronage had to make a respite. Believably under directives from above he pulled out from Rajshahi and went underground for the time being declaring that irrespective of his presence in the locality his war on the sarbaharas would continue to be waged. Further the government has of late declared a price of Taka fifty thousand on his head. Critics say these are all rotten brands of eye wash. Meaningfully it coincided with the US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's visit to Bangladesh.

On the heels of the magic tale of Bangla Bhai came on May 21, 2004 the bomb blast at Sylhet Shahjalal shrine on British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury, a proud son of Sylhet, just after a couple of days into his office in Dhaka, to the shock and bewilderment of the entire nation and to the wrath and exasperation of the West. Though wounded the High Commissioner was luckily saved and had left for UK for treatment. In the mayhem three were killed and about one hundred injured, including Sylhet Deputy Commissioner.

The former US President called Bangladesh a Moderate Muslim State. But the idea failed to sell well to the western countries. 'A cocoon of terror' was how Bangladesh got painted in a section of western media. Bangladesh protested loudly against these damaging remarks without any positive result. It is alleged that under the patronage of this alliance government the religious terrorists have spread their networks in the country. Further, allegedly trained Islamist terrorists from Pakistan and Afghanistan have landed in our country. These developments have broken social equilibrium, political order and pushed the country to the brink of lawlessness. In the process its economy has suffered greatly and foreign investment remained elusive.

The western media have humiliated the country with more negative epithets like "a country of disgrace", "a failed state," etc.

In a new world of war on terror ushered in by the US, Bangladesh is getting marginalised. The western powers have looked, with growing concern, at the increasing activities of the religious fundamentalists in our society that they (western powers) possibly believe to have been linked to international terrorist networks. The recent bomb attack on the British High Commissioner at Shah Jalal Shrine may come to cap the situation. The High Commissioner himself told, as reported in the media, that the religious terrorists might be involved in the bomb attack. To probe the incident the British detectives of Scotland Yard had already arrived in Bangladesh. The US counterparts may follow the suit.

During the recent visit of US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca, Bangladesh government, in the name of border security, is learnt to have put signature to an agreement called PISCES (Personal Identification Secure Comparison & Evolution System) which stipulates that without any invitation or permission of Bangladesh government the American intelligence agency is authorised to enter Bangladesh to investigate any terror incident. The other day when Christina Rocca asked a heavyweight Minister of Begum Khaleda Zia cabinet about Bangla Bhai the inner message was too emphatic to leave unheard of.

The hard core US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has just paid a short visit to Dhaka reportedly for obtaining Bangladesh army in the peacekeeping force in Iraq. What tell-tale he whispered into the ear of the PM and FM on dissociating from and destroying terrorist networks is not known. The whole nation fervently prays let not our administration allow things to come to such a pass as may ultimately 'necessitate' Uncle Sam's interventions!

A R Shamsul Islam is retd Principal, Govt Mohila College, Pabna.