Violence could have been avoided

A government climactically over-reactive to opposition's siege programme it had prepared against for days together and a jittery police gone taut on its nerves, committed a pre-emptive overkill with their arsenal. Our strong impression is that the violence and rapid fire disturbances that characterised the incidents at Katchpur Bridge could have been averted if the police had not acted preemptorily as they so imprudently did or were under orders to do.

Yes, the opposition activists condemnably bashed cars, damaged property and clashed with the police, but all these basically followed the police's preemptory strikes. If the government had used proper discretion and care in handling the opposition's attempted siege, the reactive violence wouldn't have been precipitated. The opposition's programme would have run its course without gravely untoward incidents.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

What is most disquieting for the nation that is eagerly waiting to see the end to confrontational politics is the prospect of any inter-party dialogue receding further and further, and the language of violence taking the place of prudence. This can have the most unfortunate consequences for us.

On a different plane, the injunction orders of the High Court Bench on the Dhaka siege programme of the opposition has taken us by complete surprise. We shall reserve our comments on the issue for the time being and dwell on the matter later. As an initial reaction we feel the Chief Justice could have easily deferred the matter for hearing the following day, and not rush a ban on the opposition's programme, through a special bench, constituted in an obvious rush and under circumstances that many legal experts found extraordinary.

We repeat our fervent appeal to all the parties, as we had done in this very column recently, please desist from confrontation, act with judiciousness and pull back from the precipice that the nation finds itself in because of the hardened attitude displayed by both the government and the opposition.