Our communities are being strangulated by criminals of various shapes and sizes with murder, rape, robbery and arson, taking place almost every day in all corners of the country. Crime watchers express their disbelief at the frequency and regularity of such cases despite the fact that a good number of people are being arrested and sent to jail on a daily basis, while hundreds are also on the run to avoid arrest. Though many criminals are rotting in jails for years together, yet the younger generations have learned no lesson.
There are enough laws in Bangladesh to try and keep hardened criminals in jail for life. But these hardly deter criminals from committing crimes of heinous nature. It’s true some laws are old and need overhauling to make them effective in the present socio-economic context. The hardened criminals know where the loopholes are in the laws so that they may escape severe punishment with the help of their corrupt lawyers. In fact, the story of corruption begins at the police station when corrupt officials write the FIR. The corrupt police officers at the police station know very well how to write an FIR so that the accused may get out fast with almost no scratch at all. Here money plays a big role in shaping up the case. The court takes into cognizance the FIR to quickly dispose of the cases in hand. The nexus of criminals, police officers and lawyers thus thrive in an environment of sleaze and fraud.
The country is witnessing a sudden surge in violent clashes among the members of underground gangs where small firearms like pistols and revolvers are being used blatantly to kill opponent members. The criminals keep defying warnings issued by the highest law enforcing authorities of the country, and display their impudence by attacking their opponents in broad daylight and even right on the premises of courts. Recently two criminals were shot dead on court premises in Khulna by members of opposing gangs. It was a kind of vendetta killing in a clash for supremacy in the Khulna underworld. The dead belonged to a rival group of criminals and they were on bail. The law-abiding citizens of Khulna expressed their surprise at how the hardened criminals could get bail despite having 5 to 6 cases against them. .
Some days earlier, another listed criminal named Mamun was shot dead in broad daylight on the Dhaka court premises. The dramatic action unfolded like a movie scene in front of hundreds of onlookers. The shooters chased down Mamun and fired shots at the victim from close range and left the area after ensuring he was dead. The killers belonged to a rival gang that wanted to solely control the underworld where extortion and drug money flowed like water. The group that will control the business houses in the area will earn in terms of crores every month. Here also assailants showed no fear as hundreds of people and some security personnel were present in the area when they attacked in business hours. Social psychologists explain the shooters knew that nothing serious would happen to them if they got caught because of their connections with the high offices that mattered. They must have been to jails on a number of occasions in their long career of criminal activities. The police however deserve credit for apprehending the actual shooters and four of their accomplices within a short time. But, what happens to them now is the main question.
Another violent gun attack took place in Pallabi when a Jubo Dal leader named Golam Kibria was shot dead inside a shop there. The gory details are caught on CCTV footage that showed 4 to 5 killers entered the shop and opened fire on the victim until he was dead. Police also termed this as a case of old enmity between two armed groups concerning control of the business houses in Mirpur and Pallabi. Kibria was standing in the way as he refused to move away from the business gold mine.
Alongside gun attacks, incidents of clashes between rival groups are happening in some rural areas with homemade crude spears, cutters, choppers and bows and arrows. We are getting reports from Brahmanbaria of continued battles with lethal weapons resulting in severe injuries of village folks over trifle matters. Some of the enmities between two villages are as old as three to four decades and no law enforcers or people’s representatives could end this.
Police records show gang warfare between teenage and adult gangs takes place in the locality where crude bombs and handguns are widely used. The young men who join the gangs are mostly unemployed or have other members of the family like their father or elder brothers in the gangs as active members. Sometimes it becomes a case of defending the family or mahalla pride. Social researchers point out that unemployment and easy availability of handguns are the main reasons behind the rise of new gangs of teenagers or adults in the locality. Extortion of money from shops and owners of buildings remains a lucrative business for the gangs. Investigations also revealed local political leaders often seek the service of these gangs to silence opposing politicians. Some veteran political activists also allow and protect such gangs to operate in their area for political gains.
Many hardened criminals including murderers are now out in the open on bails issued by various courts. They often get involved in new criminal activities. We know of some cases where criminals coming out on bail murdered the family members of people who sent them to jail in the first place. Therefore, the legal system of the country needs to be checked as to how hardened criminals could easily obtain bail and come out of jail within a couple of months.
The ministries concerned should sit down with senior advocates and barristers to assess where laws concerning bail need to be overhauled and if necessary new clauses need to be added. That would be the first step towards the right direction if we want law and order to improve in the country.
The writer is a Senior Journalist
