Our police must not forget they are people’s police

Loss of lives and people’s economic hardship must come to an end. People’s right to vote is a basic of democracy but the government has made permanent an arrangement to deny free election to people. The most urgent matter is destruction of the economy, and the government is unmindful to deal with the soaring prices of essential items. Many are hungry. The people are coming to streets for change of this incompetent and corrupt government.
Over the venue of the meeting called by BNP for today became a contentious issue of heated exchange of harsh language. But in the end an acceptable venue has been found. Even then few leaders of the government and mini-leaders have been demonstrating their eagerness to foil the meeting. The government that relies on the state power lacks courage to hold free elections but anxious to show that they have public support with them. There should be some shame in condemning dissent.
To get assembled is a constitutional right which should not mean giving a list of 26 preconditions before permission could be given for a meeting. If the announced meeting becomes unruly or gets engaged in damaging public property, the police are free to take action and for that the police have been sufficiently empowered by these conditions.
No political leader unelected or elected needs to threaten people with their political power. This government has changed the constitution to make holding free and fair election impossible. The government whose relations with India is so close that it is not difficult to remain in power, but still the government is not ready to hold elections by dissolving the parliament. It is a shame for any dignified political leader to boast of his or her position in the government.
No political party, whether it is in the government or not, should assume that the police are not for the people and be easily used against the people. It is very disturbing to see the government thinks it can use a public institution like police, the law enforcers for the protection of the people, against the people. Many important countries like the USA and Great Britain have urged the government not to use violence against
the opposition in their peaceful activities.
It seems the government is so frightful of today’s public gatherings that it vandalized the BNP’s Naya Paltan head office yesterday and stopped its leaders to enter the office. Many BNP leaders including the BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the BNP standing committee member, Mirza Abbas, were sent to jail. Hundreds of workers have been arrested and imprisoned easily.
We hope the police will not forget their duty to the people and heed international concern against violence. The BNP held public gatherings earlier peacefully and we shall urge them not to be provoked this time.
The government knows its position is shaky but desperate to cling to power. Its dependence on India is not unknown. Will it ignore how isolated and fearful of the people the government is?
We most sincerely hope that the government will not try to resort to violence under one pretext or another. Some of its leaders spoke very arrogantly against the international concern while they should not have been in power as people’s representatives.
At the moment the government has miserably failed to deal with the hardship and joblessness of the people. They are giving vent to their anger against the abuse of power. So, the government now to seek vote is confusing the issue of public concern. It is the failures of the government and its corruption that are urgent matters now.