Mass arrests
Twelve thousand arrested in four days! People being driven like cattle--the sight pinpoints the highhanded ways of the law enforcers. Since our prisons are already bursting at the seams, the arrival of the newcomers will certainly aggravate the situation. It is also common knowledge that our prisons fail to act as correction centres. Many people --especially the destitute ones --are apprehended on suspicion. Poor people who land in these prisons come in contact with hardened criminals--and this leads to their initiation into the world of crime.
As far as the apprehension of the political workers are concerned, we cannot but sympathize with the near and dear ones of those people. Why should the police harass the people with no criminal records? It will certainly add to the image of the police as a coercing force.
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Thanks to the DS for the post editorial on mass arrests. We hope the judiciary would come to the rescue of the innocent people arrested allegedly without any charges. Our question is: why the government had been sleeping so long and suddenly started the crackdown on thousands of people? We have seen similar mass arrests when the trouble started with the students of Dhaka University. Police filed more than 80,000.00 cases against known and unknown persons. I cannot recollect properly, but I remember that similar mass arrests were initiated in another incident.
The CTG is very fond of mega actions- mega cases, mega arrest and mega development. It would be wise for them to verify their ammunition stock and proceed accordingly. They have by their acts and deeds put themselves against 150 million people of Bangladesh, except a handful of supporters. It would be a simple mistake to consider the total population as fools.
One thing we can appreciate about the top bosses of the law enforcing agencies--their courage and the way they are performing their task in a very cool-headed manner. May Allah help the innocent people.
Coming back to the question of the role of the judiciary in the given circumstance, I can just recollect one case where a learned High Court Judge issued a rule to release one foreigner, said to be a minor, kept in the custody on the charge of carrying banned narcotic drags and jail sentence was awarded. I do not remember any other instance of suo moto rule by any judge. We think such action is warranted in the prevailing situation where fundamental rights and human rights are being violated on the pretext of the emergency rules. The judges are considered to be the protectors of justice.
A reader, On e-mail
A reader, On e-mail
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