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Ruling party turning Bangladesh into a police state

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury - 9/19/2011

Bangladesh attained independence from Pakistani rule in 1971. It was the core commitment of the independent and sovereign Bangladesh to be a secularist state with multi-party democracy. It also pledged to uphold rights of the citizen and ensure human rights. But since independence, the country has witnessed three military coups with frequent suspension and amendment of the constitution as well as journey towards a bi-party politics, which again regularly compromises with the Islamists considering it to be a “solid vote bank”.



Right after the independence of the country, the government under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, tried to transform Bangladesh into a socialist state, thus nationalizing most of the large industrial projects. It also introduced Special Powers Act, which gives absolute right to the government and law enforcing agencies in arresting anyone and putting him/her into prison, with the excuse of “suspicious activities”. Government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman banned all the newspapers, thus suffocating the freedom of expression. It also initiated Soviet-styled one-party politics named BKSAL. The government badly failed in addressing country’s food crisis, which caused in severe famine in 1974, which killed thousands of people. It also failed in combating corruption, nepotism and lawlessness, mostly committed by the ruling party activists.



Following the tragic assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, Bangladesh had been under military rule as well as rule by Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which was established by military ruler Ziaur Rahman. He also restored multi-party politics in Bangladesh. During Zia’s tenure, ban on newspapers were withdrawn though freedom of press was under heavy scrutiny of the government.



In 1981, General Zia was also assassinated in a military coup and subsequently his party was ousted from power through another bloodless coup by General Hussain Muhammed Ershad.



General Ershad was upholding the pro-Chinese and pro-Islamist ideology and his tenure is known to be the period of massive corruption in the state level by any government. General Ershad, being a ruler in Bangladesh was not only engaged in limitless corruption, but was also directly involved in series of immoral activities including womanizing. A number of comfort houses were maintained by General Ershad, where senior officials from the military intelligence were deployed to ensure security and secrecy of such illicit establishments.



During his rule, General Ershad gave Islam the status of state religion of Bangladesh. He took personal initiatives in “strengthening” relations with countries like Iran and he had personal intimacy with PLO leader Yasir Arafat. It is large rumored that, Ershad was a business associated of Arafat.



He also established closer ties with the rulers in Kuwait and United Arab Emirates and General Ershad was regular sending female entertainers to the palaces of these Arab sheikhs.



Ershad is the longest-lasting military dictator in Bangladesh, who grabbed power for nine consecutive years, till his government was thrown in a mass upsurge in 1990. Most of the aides of General Ershad went into hiding after the fall of his government. Newspapers started publishing the untold stories of this military dictator’s naughty private life as well as corruption by him and members of his family and associates.



With the end of Ershad regime, a general election was held in Bangladesh under a non-party ‘Caretaker Government’, which was given the responsibility by all political parties for holding free and fair election. Retired chief justice of Bangladesh Supreme Court, Sahabuddin Ahmed was selected as the head of this government. Subsequently, Bangladesh Nationalist Party came in power with a landslide victory. Begum Khaleda Zia became the first female Prime Minister in the Muslim dominated Bangladesh. After five years, in 1996, people elected Bangladesh Awami League in power under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This time, Bangladesh Awami League, which proclaims to be following secularist policy, very surprisingly formed coalition with Jamaat-e-Islami.



The rule of Bangladesh Awami League quickly became unpopular, when a large number of party activists and leaders got involved into series of crimes, including extortion, murder, nepotism etc. As a result, they lost power in 2001, when Bangladesh Nationalist Party returned to power with sweeping majority. This time, Bangladesh Nationalist Party formed coalition with Jamaat-e-Islami and another fanatic Islamist group named Islamic Unity Movement [Islamic Oikya Andolan]. Bangladesh Awami League on the other hand, formed coalition with other fractions of Islamists.



The 2001-2006 rule of Bangladesh Nationalist Party is accused of giving patronization to Islamists and Jihadists including Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh [JMB]. It is documented that, JMB was created with the direct initiatives of ‘Hawa Bhaban’, the so-called political wing of the ruling party, which was headed by the eldest son of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Notorious Jihadist kingpins like Siddiqul Islam aka Bangla Bhai was accorded special privilege by the so-called political wing of the ruling party in cleansing leftist terror outfits in the North-Southern regions in Bangladesh. It may be mentioned here that, leftist terror outfits are active in this region in the country for years, where it is continuing numerous forms of criminal activities, including extortion and murder. These leftists are patronized by several international elements in transforming Bangladesh into a socialist state.



The rule of Bangladesh Nationalist Party [BNP] also earned bad reputation of massive corruption as well as using law enforcing agencies in extra-judicially murdering locals. During 2001-2006 tenure of BNP, 472 criminals were murdered in the country by the Rapid Action Battalion and there had also been extra-judicial killing by police. The RAB was formed in 2004 to fight crime and terrorism in Bangladesh.


BNP handed over power to a caretaker government in 2006. As the main opposition, Bangladesh Awami League rejected the chief of the caretaker government, saying he had direct affiliation with BNP, the government had to ultimate transfer power to a caretaker government headed by President Iajuddin Ahmed.



But main opposition, Bangladesh Awami League refused to participate in any election under the Professor Ahmed’s caretaker government. Sheikh Hasina called upon her party activists to come on the street with bamboo and rowing sticks to demonstrate against the government of Professor Ahmed. In response to the call of the party chief, hundreds of Awami League activists came on street and murdered at least 12 political opponents. Following such tremendous lawlessness, Professor Iajuddin Ahmed was forced to leave the post of chief executive of the caretaker government and an interim government was installed in power with former official of World Bank, Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed. Chief of army, General Moeen U Ahmed and a number of his fellow officers played key-role in forcing Professor Ahmed in leaving the position of the chief executive of the caretaker government. But, instead of taking initiatives in holding free and fair election, this military backed interim government rather got involved in arresting politicians on corruption charges. At the same time, some of the influential army officers got engaged in extracting money from various individuals by putting numerous threats. During this time, both Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia were arrested on corruption charges. But, finally, the military controlled regime was forced to hold election after two years and during this election Bangladesh Awami League snatched landslide victory.



This time Awami League came in power with the promise of freeing the country from corruption, nepotism, Islamism and also of ensuring rights of the citizen. It also made specific pledge of stopping extra-judicial murders by the members of the law enforcing agencies in the country.



But, situation did not change in the country. According to a report released by human rights group named Odhikar, 49 people were killed extra-judicially between January and July 2011. On average, one person was killed extra-judicially every four days. Odhikar categorizes these deaths under four causes: by crossfire, encounter or gun fight, which killed 37; torture, which claimed the lives of nine; beating, which killed one; and shooting, which also killed one. Among the dead were alleged criminals, political activists, university students, medical personnel and prisoners. Since January 2009, when the current government came in power, more than 132 people were murdered extra-judicially by Rapid Action Battalion, while 147 were extra-judicially killed by police.



In July 2011, a senior member of the parliament and whip of the opposition, Joynal Abedin Faruk was brutally beaten on the street by a number of police officers. Later, a ruling party lawmaker, Golam Mowla Roni told reporters that, those police officers were posted in important posts in the capital as they were members of the ruling party’s student wing during their student life. Appreciating the assault of a fellow member of parliament, Mr. Roni encouraged the police officers in “giving similar treatment to the political opponents in future”.



The law and order situation in the country has reached worst ever state in Bangladesh, with extortion, robbery, murder, rape, assault on political opponents and repression of religious minorities have crossed all previous records. Opposition parties and media allege that the ruling party is turning police and law enforcing agencies in mere political cadres.



Undoubtedly, situation in Bangladesh is concerning enough. Political analysts are seeing a gradual failure of the current government in meeting people’s expectation. They also are expressing concerns of emergence of un-constitutional forces in the country.