Editorial
Handling of hartal
Overreaction by police undesirable
We are relieved to note that Sunday's general strike called by the BNP went off relatively peacefully. But the inconvenience that people were put through during the period of hartal is highly regrettable, and we find it utterly reprehensible that private and public property should be made targets of attack by hartal supporters as we saw being done the day before hartal when as many as 12 vehicles were destroyed.
There were some sporadic clashes in several parts of the country on the hartal day, some of which had resulted from anticipatory and preemptive actions by the law enforcing agencies.
While restating our abhorrence for hartal we cannot help but say that the law enforcing agencies went a bit overboard in following the directives of the administration to not to allow any ground to the BNP and it alliance partners to enforce the strike.
We believe that it is the duty of the state to provide security to the people as much as we believe that it is the duty of the state to allow people to exercise their democratic rights of association, right to demonstrate and ventilate their grievances, within the bounds of law and without violence or endangering public peace. To that extent the law enforcing agencies should take necessary precautionary measures and remain in a state of readiness to prevent untoward incidents and violence.
But what we witnessed in the capital in particular was quite contrary to the principle of democracy and political freedom. We cannot understand why a political party should be prevented from holding meetings or bringing out processions as long as they follow the law of the land.
It is regrettable that intolerance of political opponents, of not allowing them political space, has become a part of our political culture. And this only adds to the pre-existing state of animus between the AL and BNP. The people should be spared this situation.
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