Editorial
Continuous hartal unacceptable
While disappearance is abhorrent, why punish people?
In view of the pre-hartal violence and vandalism, we thought we had reasons to be relieved that the hartal went off more or less peacefully yesterday marked by sporadic incidents of clashes and infliction of injuries. But with the opposition announcing dawn-to-dusk hartal on a continuing basis until Ilias and his driver are found out, the temporary relief has been replaced by a sense of serious concern that we may be in for a fresh cycle of violence.
The law enforcement agencies followed the standard government procedure of confining the activists and their leaders to cordoned-off spaces on the first day of hartal. A large number of protestors were detained, let alone a hundred sued for offences connected with torching of vehicles on the previous day.
Some pertinent questions arise from the penultimate day to the hartal including the rationale for the countrywide standstill set to run continuously. It is clear that the violent incidents of setting a number of vehicles to fire were geared to intimidate and terrorise people to acquiesce in the hartal. In particular, the most shocking and insidious instance involved the death of a bus driver in sleep inside a parked vehicle that was mind-bogglingly set ablaze by goons who couldn't have acted on their own. So, who is responsible for the driver's death that left a family completely in the lurch? Opposition leader did not even express regret over the incident.
The other question that exercises public mind is: In what way hartals can advance the cause of finding out Ilias Ali? On the contrary, the people of the country and the economy are made to suffer whilst the mystery centred around Ilias' disappearance remains a law and order matter that cannot be resolved through political agitation.
The Prime Minister, for her part, suggesting that the opposition had hidden Ilias Ali set the probe on a wrong track. This irresponsible finger-pointing made light of the sense of purpose that the PM was expected to demonstrate in the face of disappearance of BNP's organising secretary. This adversely reflected on the government's credibility in handling the case.
Even so, that is no ground to justify hartals that are an imposition on the people like they always are sadly betraying insensitivity to public good.
Continuous hartal is especially reprehensible because of its potential to ratchet up confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition and thereby pushing the country into the vortex of graver uncertainty.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments