A NUMBER of recent murders and other violent incidents paint a grim picture of law and order, especially as the country prepares for the 13th national elections said to be held in the first half of February. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police has reported that 198 murders took place in the capital between January and October, averaging nearly 20 killings a month. The nationwide figure is alarmingly high, with at least 1,933 murder cases filed between January and June. While previous enmity or family feuds have been identified by the law enforcement agencies as underlying reasons in some incidents, most murders can be categorised as either political or gang violence. The most recent such incident took place on November 17, when a leader of the youth front of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was shot dead at close range at Pallabi in Dhaka. On November 10, a wanted crime suspect was shot dead at close range near a hospital at Sutrapur in Dhaka. While infighting of political parties, especially the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has led to many incidents of violence and killing, attempts by political or gang leaders to assert dominance for personal and financial gains have also fuelled numerous violent events.
Notwithstanding the success of the law enforcement agencies in solving many murder cases and arresting numerous perpetrators, the situation bodes ill for the country, the political landscape and the prospect of fair national elections. While political tension traditionally accompanies electoral cycles, the present context is especially volatile because of the complex interplay of governance failures, deep political polarisation and partisan rivalry and security vulnerabilities. Criminologists warn that, given the transitional period, many criminal groups have resurfaced or are attempting to reassert control. They also rightly warn that the prevalence of illegal arms has contributed to such violence. While there is no reliable study or estimate of the number of illegal arms in circulation, the police have yet to recover 1,342 of the 5,763 firearms, along with 257,287 rounds of ammunition and explosives, looted from police stations and outposts during the July uprising, as data updated on October 27 by the police show. The firearms still missing include, besides handguns, many sophisticated, military-grade weapons which, in the wrong hands, could wreak havoc in an already volatile political climate. The urgency for the recovery of the looted and other illegal arms can, therefore, hardly be overstated.
The government, therefore, needs to address a number of pressing issues to contain the surge in political and other forms of violence and to restore law and order. It must implement practical, well-designed and carefully considered measures to improve the situation. Political parties should also make a course correction and act decisively in reining in their leaders and activists. They should further work to establish a democratic order within their organisations.