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Thirty-eight prominent members of civil society have expressed deep concern and outrage over incidents of land and property grabbing, attacks on hospitals and businesses, looting and extortion allegedly carried out using political influence and muscle power in different parts of the country.
They expressed the concern in a joint statement sent to the media on Tuesday.
The civil society representatives said incidents of land grabbing and violence have increased alarmingly, both in broad daylight and under the cover of darkness.
They cited recent incidents including vandalism and looting at the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur, which provides services to disadvantaged people; an armed attack on land and a housing office near the Beribadh in Mohammadpur, during which cash worth lakhs of taka and furniture were allegedly looted; and an extortion attempt at content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio in the ECB area, allegedly carried out using the name of the ruling party.
The statement said similar incidents have reached alarming levels outside the capital, particularly in the chars of Patuakhali, Noakhali and Bhola, where landless people are allegedly being evicted and khas land grabbed by exploiting political influence.
It also said the reported rise in violence against women and children and incidents of snatching across the country was a clear indication of a serious deterioration in the overall law and order situation.
The signatories, including Anu Muhammad, Sultana Kamal, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Khushi Kabir and Shahidul Alam, said the incidents should not be viewed merely as isolated acts of crime or violence.
They alleged that there was evidence of direct or indirect involvement of influential quarters of various political parties, including the ruling party, followers of the ousted government, and sections of the law enforcement agencies.
As a result, they said, law enforcement agencies were failing to take timely and effective legal action against those involved.
The civil society members also strongly criticised the home minister’s statement in parliament that the law and order situation had improved, saying it did not reflect the reality on the ground.
They said responsibility for such incidents should not rest solely with the Home Ministry but with the government as a whole.
They called for an immediate high-level, impartial investigation to identify those responsible as well as their patrons and protectors, and demanded that all offenders be brought to justice and given strict punishment.