Media is widely accused of crossing the line on several occasions in Bangladesh. In some instances, the accusations stand right as well. But there are occasions when the media played pivotal roles in unveiling the truth. Attack on Hindus: Was the situation completely under control?
Sourav Banerjee
Media is widely accused of crossing the line on several occasions in Bangladesh. In some instances, the accusations stand right as well. But there are occasions when the media played pivotal roles in unveiling the truth.
In Brahmanbaria, the media has been accused of exercising excess but as far as the truth goes, it is this media that came up with its professional standard. Without the newspapers and visual media, the heinous attacks on Hindus could not come to the forefront. However, the politicians walked their usual course and blamed the media of excess. Even the local lawmaker, who is water resources minister as well, has categorically said that the media had exaggerated the Sunday incident in Nasirnagar. The home minister went a step forward and said the situation in Nasirnagar was under control and that the local administration had faced the situation efficiently!
Now, if the media can be accused of excess or inefficiency, then who would cap such irresponsible comments from our powerful ministers? Evidently, there is none and this has resulted in fresh attacks on Hindus in the same area within hours. Now, who would be held responsible? Who will giveanswer?
Impunity is a dangerous thing. If it gets institutionalised, then a society is bound to falter. In case of attacks on Hindus and other minority groups, such impunity has become a plague in Bangladesh. From Jessores Avaynagar to Ramu and recent situation in Brahmanbarias Nasirnagar are almost similar and the nation has seen a little in terms of legal actions. When people responsible for such attacks on minorities go unpunished, other bigots get encouraged to walk their paths undeterred.
The state has its responsibility to treat each of its citizens equally, no matter minority or majority. The constitution bestows equal rights to everyone irrespective of their religious identities. However, in case of attacks on Hindus or other minority people, the state organs mysteriously went slow.
Whereas the local public representatives accused the local administration and the police of inaction in Nasirnagar, the home minister with responsibility to maintain the law and order callously certified the police of doing the right thing in the area, where more than 200 Hindu houses and dozens of temples were vandalised and looted.
An Upazila Nirbahi Officer or UNO is the focal person to govern and run an upazila. In Nasirnagar, the UNO completely failed to perform his duties in a time of tension. The Hindu person accused of defaming one of the holiest places of Islam through a Facebook post was already arrested and the situation could be handled legally. If proved guilty, he must face strict legal action.
In such a situation, the UNO should have been cautious to run things and when the issue was as sensitive as religion, he should have been extra cautious. It was his foremost duty to maintain calm and uphold the law and order with an iron fist. Here comes the inefficiency of the UNO, when he allowed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat to protest the alleged defamation of Islam and hold a rally in Nasirnagar itself.
When the government repeatedly denies permissions to different political organisations to hold political programmes for maintaining law and order, this permission to an organisation to protest an issue related to religion was clearly suicidal. This should be probed whether the UNO did it on purpose or it was the result of his inefficiency. How an administrator makes such a blunder is a matter of serious dissection.
The situation becomes worse when the same UNO accompanied by the local police OC attended the very protest rally that instigated the attacks on the Hindus!
Brahmanbaria Superintendent of Police (SP) Mizanur Rahman said that around 150 to 200 people had launched the attacks. He also said that a vested group had carried out the attack to tarnish the governments image. He even went further and blamed the Jamaat-Shibir men for the attack.
However, he failed to address the fact that his force played the role of mere spectators when the actual incident took place.
Local elected representatives claimed that they sought help from the local police OC to contain the situation in Nasirnagar but the OC declined to help. In response to such allegations, the home minister unfortunately claimed that the police performed their duties accordingly.
There was no lacking on his (OC) part. But we think he could have been done more and thats why he has been withdrawn, the minister said. What type of a signal did the home boss try to send through such a claim?
If doing nothing to defuse a heated situation is certified by the home boss, then such heinous incidents and attacks on minorities would automatically increase. And this is evident as several Hindu temples and houses came under attacks across the country after the Nasirnagar incident.
The ministers irresponsible comments bore fruits within hours and the Hindus in Nasirnagar were attacked again early Friday. Yet, the government seemingly remained silent.
Removing a police OC for failing to perform his duty is quite archaic and time has come for the authorities to mean business. If such trends of impunity and negligence on part of the authorities on sensitive matters continue, then it is not far away when the nation will need searchlights to spot the minority people.
The writer is a Senior Sub-Editor ofThe Independent
