‘Arrests reactionary, culture of impunity’: Bangladeshi dailies slam govt over Hindu worker’s lynching

Last week, Dipu Chandra Das, a 27-year-old garment worker, was beaten to death by a mob in Mymensingh’s Bhaluka sub-district in Bangladesh, over allegations of hurting religious sentiments. The case has dominated mainstream news media in India too with TV channels criticising rising fanaticism in Bangladesh and dailies calling out the interim government’s failure.

A senior official in the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a counterterrorism unit under the Bangladesh Police, has told The Daily Star that there was no evidence that Das had written anything on Facebook that could have hurt religious sentiments. The interim government, meanwhile, issued a statement vowing to spare no one involved in the heinous crime. Touhid Hussain, Bangladesh Foreign Advisor, pointed to arrests to state that “immediate action was taken”. “To conflate the overall safety of minorities in Bangladesh with it is meaningless.”

But major media publications in Bangladesh have called out the interim government’s inability to maintain law and order in the country.

Prothom Alo

In a scathing editorial published today, the Bengali daily newspaper, which itself was attacked by a mob, said in its editorial that the lynching of Das “is a continuation of the interim government's utter failure to stop mob violence and take strict action against the perpetrators.”

Linking the lynching of Das to the attack on BNP leader Belal Hossain’s home by assailants, which resulted in the death of his seven-year-old daughter, the editorial stated, “This is a clear indication of the extreme deterioration of the law and order situation in the country and a manifestation of the culture of impunity of the state and the government. “

"Despite repeated calls from civil society, political parties and the media to take strict action against mob violence, the interim government has not taken any effective steps. Taking advantage of the weakness of the government and the law and order system, some groups in society have started to think of themselves as too powerful and above accountability, which has created concerns about security among citizens,” the editorial noted.

It also humanised Das, talking about how he was the only member of the family with a three-year-old child, wife and an old and sick father, adding that it’s “the responsibility of the state and the government to stand by the family in addition to ensuring justice.”

“The interim government must give utmost importance to improving the law and order situation. To repair the shattered trust of citizens in security, a zero-tolerance policy must be adopted against all types of crimes, starting from mob violence. Special operations alone are not enough in this regard; a coordinated and vigorous operation is needed,” the editorial noted.

“No one will get away with committing crimes – the government must send a clear message to criminals and terrorists. The repetition of brutal crimes proves that a culture of impunity has developed due to the lack of exemplary punishment for criminals,” it added.

The Daily Star

In an editorial yesterday headlined “Persistent violence must be reined in”, the English-language daily, which was also a victim of mob violence, condemned the factory’s staff decision to forcibly eject Das from the premises and hand him over to the mob, calling it “morally repugnant”. It also remarked: “The horror of the lynching is compounded by its baselessness.”

Like Prothom Alo’s editorial today, the newspaper linked the lynching of Das with the attack on BNP leader Belal Hossain’s home, which resulted in the death of his seven-year-old daughter. 

“Taken together, these atrocities paint a terrifying picture for the interim government as it prepares for a national election in less than two months. It must be careful as violence has been evolving and changing colour. In Lakshmipur, it appears to be a political vendetta executed with extreme cruelty. In Mymensingh, it was the weaponisation of religious sentiment, where an accusation alone has become a death sentence,” the editorial stated. 

The editorial “unequivocally” condemned the inability of authorities to bring the law and order situation under control, stating that such “lawlessness must be met with unyielding resolve”. 

“The prompt arrest of seven suspects in the Mymensingh case is a start, but it is reactive. The government must make it unequivocally clear that neither mobs nor arsonists will find sanctuary in the chaos of transition. It is the state’s paramount duty to ensure that citizens are protected from such brutalities and intimidation. Bangladesh stands at a perilous juncture. The authorities must arrest this slide into lawlessness and ensure that the rule of the mob does not supplant the rule of law. The culture of impunity must be crushed,” the editorial concluded.

Dhaka Tribune

The Dhaka Tribune published a story on Monday documenting the events that led to the brutal mob lynching, which triggered a “nationwide outrage and renewed concern over mob violence fuelled by misinformation”. In its editorial, headlined, “Law and order remain lacking”, the daily remarked that the events of Thursday highlighted “the dismal state of our law and order”.

“It is the reactive nature of law enforcement agencies that remains most frustrating, with heavy patrolling only after tragedies occur time and time again, and little to no urgency displayed to apprehend those that cause death and destruction,” it said.

Such horrific incidents, it noted, leaves the upcoming elections in the country under a dark cloud. “The Election Commission has rightly emphasised the need for vigilance, but words must translate into decisive action. At present, we have a security apparatus that lags behind events and during such a pivotal time, it is something Bangladesh simply cannot afford,” it remarked.

The editorial called on law enforcement agencies to “get its act together”, adding that how they respond over the next few weeks “will determine whether we are truly ready for not just a free and fair election but also one that is safe”.

New Age

In its editorial over the weekend titled, “Vigilantism, impunity, worrying crisis of governance”, the New Age remarked that the lynching of Das “once again raises a few serious questions about law and order”. It also noted that this lynching was not an isolated incident. 

“It, rather, reflects the cumulative decline in law and order and the government’s failure to stop such crimes by bringing the perpetrators of earlier incidents to justice. It also exposes the abysmal and worrying build-up of religious fanaticism, which has increasingly become destructive and disruptive,” it remarked, adding that the “most alarming is the inaction or inadequate response of the law enforcement agencies”. 

“The government should acknowledge its failure and make a course correction. A mob culture, fuelled by religious fanaticism, poses a serious threat to democratic ideals. The government should, therefore, bring the perpetrators of the Mymensingh incident to justice. It should also investigate earlier incidents and ensure that justice is served,” the editorial concluded. 

In an opinion piece headlined “Symptoms of sick society, failed governance,” Monwarul Islam, a writer and assistant editor at New Age, an English-language newspaper, said that the lynching of Das “marks a moral nadir that should shame a nation”.

Publications such as bdnews, Bangladesh Pratidin, a Bengali daily, and Daily Observer, an English daily, also published stories and articles analysing the brutal incident.

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