Harassment cases are on the rise across the country. Many innocent people are being accused in these cases and are spending their days in extreme anxiety and fear. The daily Khoborer Kagoj published an editorial on Sunday urging the interim government to take effective action. For the readers of Barta24.com, the editorial is published:
Cases are being filed across the country in connection with the anti-discrimination student movement and the killings in the student uprising. Unbelievable but it is true that the people who are at the forefront of this movement have also been charged with murder.
Complaints have been raised; many are being accused of harassment. Women are also among them. The plaintiff in the case does not even know these women accused. A female accused in the case has been identified as male. Even though the capital's Sutrapur area was the scene of the murder, many people outside Dhaka have been accused.
It is alleged that the BNP or party's organs and affiliates and Jamaat leaders of the concerned areas are controlling and determining who will be accused in the case. That is, doing the work of arranging the case. Due to this, many innocent people are accused of murder cases. More than 766 people died during the student uprising and its aftermath.
Cases have been filed in various districts including Dhaka in these incidents. Hundreds of people have been charged in each case. Such cases are still happening. The defendants in these cases are ordinary people including businessmen, journalists, artists, sportsmen and civic activists. There is a mixed reaction among the people of the country.
Other than the political leaders in this case, most of the defendants do not know they are defendants. According to the newspaper investigation, the housewife Shamima is involved in a business owned by her husband! She never went to Sutrapur. Apart from this, she was at the forefront of the march as a guardian in the anti-discrimination student movement in Dhanmondi-Mohammedpur. Despite this, she has been charged with murder. Several such facts have emerged in the search of the newspaper.
A warning notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday said that the law enforcement agencies have been directed to take legal action against those who are doing mischief through false and harassing cases. The anti-discrimination student movement also requested not to harass innocent people with false or fake cases without verification.
According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) sources, the case was filed as soon as possible in the post-August 5 situation. Apart from this, it is not possible to know who is being accused due to the case being filed in the court.
Sara Hossain, Honorary executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), said that various cases have been seen for two weeks. Some have 30-40 and more than 50 accused. Many may have anger and resentment, but writing such cases will not work, will not last. It can't pass the first step. The cases are of agitation and demonstration.
Commenting on questioning the crop, she said, it must be stopped.
There should be clarity and transparency in the statement of the murder cases surrounding the anti-discrimination movement. If there is ambiguity, the innocent will be punished and the real criminals will go into hiding. There is a lot of video footage from the time of the anti-discrimination movement, which needs to be scrutinized to present the correct information. Government has to play an effective role to stop harassment cases. No injustice to anyone. Due process of law should be followed keeping in place the transparency and accountability of the case. Hopefully, the interim government will consider the matter seriously. -Courtesy of the Khoborer Kagoj.