We were outraged at the heinous crimes perpetrated by some pro-ruling party men in Magura, Hazaribagh and Kushtia. We wanted them to be punished. But instead what followed were some deaths in shootout under custody of law enforcers which we find totally unacceptable.

While we condemn the activities of the criminals, we cannot approve of 'death in gun-fight' of the perpetrators. These are nothing short of death in custody of which we have been consistently critical. We stand by the principle of full protection of an accused under law. Furthermore, the way the communication minister and health minister apparently lauded the action as the beginning of the 'corrective measures' against party miscreants can be seen as an indirect support to death in police custody.  It may encourage the law enforcers to indulge in similar excesses. On the other hand, BCL leaders' attempt to condone Arzu Miah in the killing of a boy terming it as a lynching incident is equally condemnable.

What we have here is rampant lawlessness on the part of a section of ruling party cadres and equal abuse of law by law enforcers. Neither of the two trends can be helpful for a country under rule of law.