Editorial
Home adviser's alarm at law and order
Take action, but let people not be harassed
THE Home Adviser's expression of alarm at the slide in law and order is a matter of serious concern. It is not that the deteriorating state of law and order has escaped citizens' attention, but when no less an individual than the Home Adviser admits to the growing problem, it says something more about the situation. It was only on Monday that a businessman was killed in broad daylight in the city. And over the past few days, there has generally been a spate of crime committed in different parts of the nation's capital at a time when Eid-ul-Fitr approaches. If such is the condition in Dhaka, the situation in other regions of the country can only be imagined.
The palpable public feeling is that the law and order situation has been getting increasingly bad of late. A perceptible laxity in maintaining order on the part of the police has been noticed. Given the fact that under the state of emergency, there were no political problems to be handled, such as public rallies or similar programmes, it was expected that the police and other security forces would maintain a solid grip on the situation. That does not seem to have been the case, though. If anything, there appears to be a slackening of control where containing and rolling back crime is concerned. The question may legitimately be asked: if criminality can go up despite a state of emergency, might matters not get even worse when such a measure is not there any more? In the last few weeks, the authorities have spoken of the varied security measures they intend to take in the on-going month of Ramadan. Part of those measures is the presence of plain-clothed policemen at markets and shopping malls. One wonders if such measures are already in place. There are a number of vulnerable places in the city where strong steps are needed to combat this growing menace of crime.
The government has made it clear that it will take tough action against criminals. That is a laudable goal, but it can only be appreciated once people see actual results. Meanwhile, it should also be borne in mind that misplaced toughness on the part of the authorities should be avoided. All too often, the vigilance that should have been there as a normal happening is conspicuous by its absence. So, while we welcome effective action in curbing crime, we also expect that nothing will be done that will accentuate people's sufferings in the name of law and order.
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