Yet another purposeless hartal

The Saturday's call for standstill was to protest fuel price rise and to demand the trial of those involved in the August 21 grenade attacks and a provision for special security to the family of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Such demands could be articulated by other means than hartal which made the call for it not only misplaced but also an imposition on people's right to free choice.

That is as far as the bane of hartal goes. But what about the police hamhandedness and indecently ruthless behaviour with the Jubo Mohila and Mohila Awami League activists, pickets and processionists. The police were not content with setting up barricades only, they went on to baton-charge the women activists, hurt several of them, hauled them up to police station and allegedly mistreated them. There are allegations that some of the women taken to the police station did not receive medical attention. Furthermore, journalists were harassed and mistreated when they sought information about the arrestees. All this is highly reprehensible.

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We have never failed to voice our utter dislike of the fact that the administration has been obstructionist in its approach to opposition demonstrations, including such peaceful programmes as forming of human chains or holding of protest rallies which are publicly acclaimed as much better options than hartal. That the ruling party is not giving the opposition its due space to perform its legitimate role is an obvious fact, but the use of force made by the police on women activists on Saturday as also some other previous occasions, is the crudest form of political obstructionism. We want an end to it.