Rule of law, or rule of mobs?
The intensification of mob violence over the past 10 months has cast a dark shadow over the state of law and order in the country. There is no denying that the state's failure to act swiftly and decisively has, to some extent, emboldened mobs and contributed to a climate in which vigilante justice is becoming increasingly commonplace. In several such cases, the inaction of security forces appeared to signal even implicit acceptance of these acts. In other instances, police intervention came too late to prevent harm, and only occurred after footage of the violence sparked outrage on social media. All of this is entirely unacceptable.
In a video clip that went viral recently, some individuals were seen placing a garland of shoes around the neck of former Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda and striking him across the face with a shoe before handing him over to the police, who were present at the scene to arrest him in a case. As we have then stated, there can be no justification for violating the rights of an arrestee or anyone involved in a case in this manner. Another recent incident took place in Lalmonirhat town, where a barber and his son were beaten by a mob and later detained by police, allegedly for hurting religious sentiment. Regardless of the accusations, both individuals deserve their day in court in any society that claims to uphold the rule of law.
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According to Ain o Salish Kendra, since the fall of the Awami League regime, 179 people have been beaten to death by mobs. Add to that the long list of injuries and damaged properties courtesy of the marauding mobs. Moreover, if we examine yearly data on mob killings since 2015, there has been a marked increase since August 5, 2024. Although the interim government cannot be faulted for the mob violence that took place in the initial days after it took office—when security forces, particularly the police, were barely functional—it cannot shirk responsibility for the violence that has occurred over the past 10 months. There is no doubt that the government has failed to take meaningful action in many cases to curb mob violence, despite repeated assurances from various advisers.
A case in point is the home adviser's response when asked how many people had faced action for mob violence: "I don't know the exact number," he replied. Why is that the case? The home adviser should be the first to know the exact number if he and his government are serious about curbing mob violence. It is high time the government took this matter seriously and enforced the rule of law uniformly across the country.
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