THE brutal murder of a scrap trader near Sir Salimullah Medical College in Dhaka on July 9 is a betrayal of sacrifices of the martyrs of the July uprising, which topped the authoritarian Awami League regime in hopes for a political culture to uphold democratic values. The victim was repeatedly hit with a large chunk of concrete in daylight, with dozens watching. The police and the family said a long-standing feud with Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal leaders over control of the scrap trade and territorial dominance in the area led to the murder. The event instantly brought back memories of a similar murder that took place in 2012 when tailor Biswajit Das was killed while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the party in the opposition that time, held a nationwide blockade. The similarities sadly mark the rigidity of mainstream political culture that treats the youth as organised party muscle. As the killing sparked off protests, the law enforcement agencies already arrested five of the accused. But arrest is not enough. It should systematically prevent extortion syndicates in the changed political context.
The Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal has, meanwhile, expelled five, one of whom is arrested, over their alleged involvement in the murder. The party鈥檚 action, however, appears superficial because the problem runs deep in its party culture. Since the fall of the Awami League regime in August 2024, the party鈥檚 affiliate organisations have been more interested in extortion, the way Awami League people did, than contributing to a democratic transition. Instead of making a clear departure from the political culture that relies on extortion and control of public places, the involvement of BNP activists is named in criminal activities, including the grab of local Awami League party offices to try to establish control over the extortion ring that AL leaders left behind. There are also allegations against senior BNP leaders that they are extorting from businesses owned by errant members of the Awami League. The Bangladesh Nationalist party needs to acknowledge that the party has failed to orient its members with democratic values and continues with the culture that is more about personal gains than serving the nation and working for the greater good.
The government should, therefore, stop treating extortion cases as isolated incidents but take steps to uproot the extortion culture. In doing so, it should expedite the legal proceedings to set a precedent that no one will be spared for involvement in extortion. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party should reconsider its action and decide whether it should continue to function as organised muscle devoid of any ideological orientation or make a transition to become a democratic party.
