Bangladesh law and order situation deteriorates after election schedule announcement

Dhaka: The law and order situation in Bangladesh has worsened since the announcement of the schedule for national parliamentary elections set to be held next year, sparking concerns among people regarding their safety, local media reported on Sunday.

Political events, counter-rallies, clashes, arson attacks, and killings have increased in recent days, sparking concerns that the election environment is becoming very volatile, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Observers said tensions related to elections after the announcement of the schedule are not new in Bangladesh. However, they stressed that the current situation is more alarming than in previous polls.

Radical organisation Inqilab Mancha spokesperson and a potential candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, Sharif Osman Hadi, was shot in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. After receiving initial treatment in Bangladesh, he was taken to Singapore, where he died on December 18.

After Hadi’s death, protests and violent incidents erupted in Bangladesh. Houses of several Awami League leaders and activists were targeted in Bangladesh. Offices of media outlets and cultural institutions were targeted in Bangladesh. In addition to politically linked violence, brutal crimes have also increased in Bangladesh, sparking concerns among people.

Md Touhidul Haque, associate professor and criminologist at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research, Dhaka University, termed the worsening law and order situation in Bangladesh as deeply concerning.

“Political differences and ideological conflicts are normal. But when these are exploited to justify violence, arson and killings, election-time stability is seriously threatened,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration has received a 24-hour ultimatum from the Mancha, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the killing of Hadi.

The ultimatum was issued after Hadi’s funeral, as thousands of his supporters assembled at Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection on Saturday, turning the area into a major flashpoint, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Issuing a warning to the interim government, a group leader said: “If no response comes from the government regarding the arrest of Sharif Osman Hadi’s killers by 5:15 pm on Sunday, we will organise another sit-in protest at Shahbagh.”

The group also demanded that the iconic Shahbagh intersection be renamed ‘Hadi Chottor’.

IANS