Law and order must be strengthened

Reports of several recent cases of fatal mugging and robbery have again shaken the public. The latest incident, involving a body found on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway in Banani on September 4, has left many feeling insecure. According to police, the victim was allegedly killed inside a Dhaka-bound bus by the driver and other staffers after they noticed he was carrying Tk 2-5 lakhs and plotted to rob him. Another incident involved a headteacher who died after falling from a moving rickshaw as muggers snatched her bag. This, incidentally, happened in an area housing the very complex where laws are passed to ensure citizens’ safety and wellbeing.

Safety seems elusive even within the four walls of homes; the gruesome murder of Ganapati Chakraborty and his family late last month in their Rangpur residence is a case in point. Analysing crime reports from February to September 5, this daily has found at least 19 incidents in which at least two members of the same family were murdered, leaving around 50 people dead.

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Despite such frequent reports of gruesome crimes, the home minister at a recent press meet rejected the perception that the law-and-order situation has worsened. Referring to Police Headquarters (PHQ) data, he said it presents an opposite picture. However, a comparative analysis of crime data by categories between the last six months of the interim administration and the first six months of the BNP regime, based on PHQ data, reveals a less straightforward picture. While cases involving robbery, theft, and mugging declined, those relating to murder, attacks on law enforcers, and violence against women and children have risen.

Meanwhile, compilations of human rights violation reports by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) show that 195 incidents of rape and gang rape occurred between August 2025 and January 2026, while 345 took place between February and July 2026. Since PHQ and ASK use different methodologies, the figures are not comparable. Nevertheless, it is a gross overstatement to say that the law-and-order situation is “satisfactory.”

So, we urge the government to look beyond crime statistics and instil a sense of safety in citizens through effective measures—proper investigations, quick trials, strong evidence, and witness and victim protection. When more than half of all murder cases end in acquittal (as a Police Bureau of Investigation study shows), hollow words of assurance are not enough. Besides, the government must ensure that political influence and partisan appointments will not obstruct police work or demotivate them. It must deliver on its election-time promises of improved law and order.