Editorial
Reprehensible and unacceptable
Such actions smear govt image
At the outset, we recall the September 19 mayhem Jamaat e Islam unleashed resulting in 19 vehicles and public property having been vandalized that we decry in the strongest of terms. It was terrorization creating public disorder, which made it all the more reprehensible. Indeed we were aghast at the ferocity of the incidents.
Having said that, the sight of taking Jamaat-e-Islami acting secretary general ATM Azharul Islam and the party's publicity secretary Prof Tasnim in shackles to Dhaka metropolitan court was abhorrent. It was utterly repugnant to norms of civility and dignity of the human person. They are accused, among other things, of allegedly torching vehicle in the Jamaat protest rally on September 19. Until proven guilty in a court of law after a due process, they should have been treated as innocent.
When an ordinary citizen is implicated in a criminal offence he is entitled to civilized behaviour. What is more reprehensible in the case in question is that the victims of maltreatment are leaders and office bearers of a functioning political party having a number of MPs in parliament.
Jamaat-e-Islami as a legally constituted political party has rights to expression of dissent and staging protest as long as they do it within the parameters of law, which they violated on the day in question.
In the past vehicles had been torched during BNP rule in AL organized demonstrations. But never before well-placed opposition figures had been deliberately denigrated through taking them in shackles to a court. This culture of treating protests is manifestly autocratic and therefore an anathema to an elected democracy.
In a similar vein, arrogance of the executive has seemingly taken hold on even prison authorities. Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Prof Mizanur Rahman went to Sylhet on Thursday to pay a surprise visit to the jail but he was refused entry to the jail compound by the IG, Prison. His reasoning: the chairman, NHRC needed prior permission of the Home Ministry to make such a visit. This is in spite of the fact that under the NHRC Act 2009 it is within his remit to be making a surprise visit. If there is no surprise element to his visit how can he inspect a jail in real time to detect human rights violations, if any. By arrangement, it would only be an ineffectual conducted tour.
We believe, therefore, that the executive branch of the government should side with NHRC chairman and hold the IG, Prison into account. Meantime, he must tender his apologies to the Human Rights Commission chief and give an undertaking not to do it again.
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