Take the infamous 2004 grenade attack on a Awami League rally which left dozens dead and many more injured as an example. It has been the most serious blow to democracy flourishing in the country. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of this ghastly attack remain unpunished even after long eleven years

When perpetrators of ghastly crimes go unpunished

For too long in Bangladesh many criminals have gotten away with nefarious crimes,  specially including murder or attempts to do so. Even in cases where the criminal has been apprehended the process of trial is seen too be too tedious and time consuming. As the saying goes ‘justice delayed is justice denied”. And this unwelcome phenomenon has led to a sense of invulnerability among certain criminal quarters.  The term ‘culture of impunity’ refers to a situation in which people in a society have come to believe that they can do whatever they want with impunity, which means without having to face any consequences for their actions. This concept is diametrically opposite to the idea of the rule of law.  The rule of law is the idea that all people will be punished if they break the law.
Take the infamous 2004 grenade attack on a Awami League rally which left dozens dead and many more injured for an example. Many pertinent observers believe that the attack has been the most serious blow to democracy flourishing in the country. Unfortunately little visible progress has been made  against the people involved in this most vicious crime. It is well known that there are reactionary forces out there who are trying their level best to disrupt the International War Crime Tribunal proceedings. There have been reprisal acts of anarchy whenever a verdict is announced. The authorities have not been firm enough regarding the handling of these obscurantist forces. On the contrary successive govern­ments have gone out of their way to appease these people.
The indiscriminate killings of secular freethinking bloggers have been a blot to the law and order system of the country. While the authorities saw it fit to send a number of bloggers to jail for allegedly harming “religious sentiments” few if any have been punished for posting highly inflammatory materials on the net against progressive and forward looking individuals.
It is very unfortunate that even among a section of the police there has developed a culture of impunity in which fake encounters, framing, the planting of fake evidence and the use of unsanctioned force are par for the course.
This culture must end. We do recognise the right of everyone, including the criminal, to a fair trial. The due process of the law must be followed under any circumstances. However that does not mean that a case can go on for years, even decades, and no one is punished.
If  the rule of law is to prevail we need to incorporate speedy trial deadlines, transparency so that court proceedings are made public, open public records of all investigations and litigation and less corruption. It indeed is tough to implement all these but certainly not impossible.

Take the infamous 2004 grenade attack on a Awami League rally which left dozens dead and many more injured as an example. It has been the most serious blow to democracy flourishing in the country. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of this ghastly attack remain unpunished even after long eleven years

When perpetrators of ghastly crimes go unpunished

For too long in Bangladesh many criminals have gotten away with nefarious crimes, specially including murder or attempts to do so. Even in cases where the criminal has been apprehended the process of trial is seen too be too tedious and time consuming. As the saying goes justice delayed is justice denied. And this unwelcome phenomenon has led to a sense of invulnerability among certain criminal quarters. The term culture of impunity refers to a situation in which people in a society have come to believe that they can do whatever they want with impunity, which means without having to face any consequences for their actions. This concept is diametrically opposite to the idea of the rule of law. The rule of law is the idea that all people will be punished if they break the law. Take the infamous 2004 grenade attack on a Awami League rally which left dozens dead and many more injured for an example. Many pertinent observers believe that the attack has been the most serious blow to democracy flourishing in the country. Unfortunately little visible progress has been made against the people involved in this most vicious crime. It is well known that there are reactionary forces out there who are trying their level best to disrupt the International War Crime Tribunal proceedings. There have been reprisal acts of anarchy whenever a verdict is announced. The authorities have not been firm enough regarding the handling of these obscurantist forces. On the contrary successive governments have gone out of their way to appease these people. The indiscriminate killings of secular freethinking bloggers have been a blot to the law and order system of the country. While the authorities saw it fit to send a number of bloggers to jail for allegedly harming religious sentiments few if any have been punished for posting highly inflammatory materials on the net against progressive and forward looking individuals. It is very unfortunate that even among a section of the police there has developed a culture of impunity in which fake encounters, framing, the planting of fake evidence and the use of unsanctioned force are par for the course. This culture must end. We do recognise the right of everyone, including the criminal, to a fair trial. The due process of the law must be followed under any circumstances. However that does not mean that a case can go on for years, even decades, and no one is punished. If the rule of law is to prevail we need to incorporate speedy trial deadlines, transparency so that court proceedings are made public, open public records of all investigations and litigation and less corruption. It indeed is tough to implement all these but certainly not impossible.