The tyranny of extortion must end

The traders have complained that their shops and establishments have become the target of regular extortion by none other than JCD elements of Dhaka College. They have appealed to the college authorities to oust the criminals in the garb of students. What is particularly disturbing is that the police are not doing anything to put an end to the malady which is why perhaps they have turned to college authorities. But nothing short of ruling party intervention can set it right.

The report is another example of how student-wing elements of the ruling party are engaged in devious activities that the BNP claims to have blunted to a great extent, but the ground reality speaks otherwise. After all, it shouldn't be particularly difficult to identify and catch the extortionists operating within the small radius of a known locality like Dhaka College and thereabouts. The talk of halting the ever-worsening law and order situation loses much of its meaning when none other than some members of the ruling party student body are found involved in such damning activities.

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It is a question of allowing the law to take its own course. Politics, or any other consideration, for that matter, should be set aside while dealing with such clear cases of abuse of a supposed proximity to the ruling party. It is not only tarnishing the image of the ruling party but also contributing to the growth of a political culture based on muscle power.