Editorial
En masse accusation by police at JU
Lacking focus and intent to get to the bottom
Two cases have been filed against more than 300 students in connection with Thursday's violence on and outside the campus of Jahangirnagar Univerity. In each case only a few accused were named while all others were 'unidentified' and the charges levelled against them were those of attacking on-duty policemen and obstructing them from discharging their duties.
Although the stabbing of a student and all its ramifications are matters to be pursued in earnest, we fail to understand the rationale behind accusing several hundred unidentified persons or students. It really worries us to see that in the last couple of years or so this practice of suing a whole lot of people has become a trend reflective either of confused and incompetent handling or deliberately leaving scope for arm-twisting and harassment. To our dismay, it often turns into a hunt for moneymaking or extortion.
For all we know, an activist of a BCL faction was stabbed allegedly by students of a rival faction. This led the police to raid one of the dormitories to arrest just one student implicated in another case filed by the victim's mother. Students alleged that on-duty policemen had not consulted the university administration before conducting the raid which was why they resisted the arrest attempt. This, the police claimed, triggered their shooting of rubber bullets. Violence then spread in and around the campus in protest against police firing. Police highhandedness and the students' barricading traffic are common occurrences much to the suffering of innocent people and commuters.
What is at issue here is finding those who stabbed the student and what exactly triggered the violence. We cannot comprehend how this sweeping accusation against so many persons will help unearth the real causes behind the mayhem. In view of all these ramifications, we demand a full-fledged administrative investigation into the whole matter for a focused, meaningful and measurable outcome including the role of police.
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