Editorial
Violence in anticipation!
Regrettable, outrageous
WE do not think it would be remiss on our part to say that BNP leadership owes an explanation to the public for the incident of torching 20 or so vehicles on the streets of Bogra on Sunday. That, we understand, was done in anticipation of the judgment going against Tareque Rahman in the much-vaunted money laundering case.
The violence occurred in fairly good unison between 45 minutes and quarter of an hour before the judgment was delivered. Clearly, the BNP was taken by surprise by the verdict and we understand the local party units were prepared to perpetrate violence and go for hartal had the verdict gone against Tareque Rahman. As it turned out, he was acquitted by the court. But no order to stop the planned violence went out to the party men in Bogra.
What BNP activists demonstrated on Sunday reinforces the belief that violence has become second nature of political parties. And public and private properties are easy prey for the party vandals. They seemed to be in leash ready to go, so much so that they did not have the patience to listen to the full verdict.
The perpetrators must be held to account for the loss of public and private property. Because they get away with anything as the central leadership exercises little or no control over local units and the real culprits elude the police's grip, violence tends to spiral into unexpected fireballs. It is the public who always suffer.
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