Editorial
Crossfire killings
Denial doesn't alter reality
IT is difficult to accept the comment of the law minister that there are no crossfire deaths in the country any more. His statement was in response to the Amnesty International report on the matter, and one that we have been seized with since the extralegal practice has come to be employed with alarming and increasing regularity.
The AI report comes as an indictment of the government's abject disregard for the rule of law, not to speak of the AL's reneging on its electoral commitment to see an end to this abhorrent practice. 'Crossfire' or 'encounter killings' or call it what you will, is a disgrace for anyone that claims to adhere to justice and rule of law.
The statement of the law minister bears no resemblance at all to the reality on ground. Going by the figures mentioned in the report at least 70 people were victims of 'crossfire' in the first nine months of 2009. The figure has increased since then, regrettably, and a few such killings reportedly have taken place since the minister made the statement. We have noticed all governments, past and present, unabashedly refusing to acknowledge the reality, and yet we continue to read of such deaths almost everyday. Added to the encounter killings is the new phenomenon of dead bodies turning up in odd places. It is even more worrisome when the High Court directive to the authorities not to resort to 'crossfire' is disregarded.
We say again what we have said in the past no civilised nation, and no government that claims to value democratic rights and the rule of law, can turn a blind eye to the security forces acting as the judge, jury and executioner. There are only two assumptions that one can draw from these incidents. It is either that the security agencies are deliberately flouting instructions or that these are taking place with the government's knowledge, which makes the government a party to the crime. Perhaps it is the latter, and the government seems to have been persuaded that although the method is highly questionable it may be effective. But it is our view that ultimately upholding the rule of law is not only more sustainable but also has a salutary effect of immense value. Experiences in many countries have shown that short-cut to justice breeds greater violence and corrodes the faith in law.
Refutation, such as the one we heard from the law minister, is not the first of its kind. Other senior ministers of the AL-led alliance government had come out with similar denials as had BNP ministers during their tenure. One would hope that they realise that such disclaimers do not do credit to the sense of acuity of the public nor does it do anything to change their perception of the matter. And for a party that claims to value democratic norms the AL must put a stop to extra-judicial killings before anymore damage is done to the country's image and to the ruling party's credibility.
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