Public safety in peril

Public safety and the rule of law are coming under growing pressure amid allegations of land-grabbing, extortion and violent clashes involving ruling BNP activists, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has warned, calling for urgent government action to curb the deteriorating law and order situation.

The anti-corruption watchdog expressed deep concern and outrage over a series of incidents, including the midnight looting, vandalism and forcible occupation of the Radda MCH-FP health centre in the presence of police, a clash between two BNP factions over control of a water body in Kishoreganj that left
more than 50 people injured, and the vandalism of a content creator’s office.

Citing reports published in reliable media outlets, TIB said the incidents exposed serious weaknesses in efforts to maintain law and order and prevent abuses of political power.

In a statement, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman described the attack on Radda MCH-FP as an embarrassing example for the government and the ruling party.

He questioned what kind of precedent ruling-party activists were setting by vandalising and forcibly occupying a charitable institution that had long provided healthcare to poor and vulnerable mothers and children, allegedly under the patronage of a reserved-seat MP and in the presence of police, while hundreds of people watched.

He said the incident was particularly disturbing as it involved a party that came to power through a historic election following the fall of authoritarian rule during the bloody July uprising.

Such conduct sends a negative message to the public, he said, adding that memories of the previous authoritarian government’s high-handedness remained fresh.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman questioned whether BNP policymakers were fully considering the consequences of continued land-grabbing and extortion by a section of party activists.

He said allegations of land-grabbing, extortion and control over local territories had been widespread against sections of BNP activists since August 2024, with the reckless behaviour of party figures at grassroots and other levels drawing concern among the media, political observers and political circles.

Following the fall of the Awami League government, control over major bus terminals, footpaths, markets, water bodies, sand quarries, hats and bazaars, cable and internet connections, and waste-collection businesses had reportedly changed hands amid allegations of extortion and land-grabbing, he said.

The alleged takeover of these lucrative establishments extended from Dhaka’s Sayedabad, Mohakhali and Gabtoli to Chattogram, Sylhet and Khulna, as well as upazila and union levels across the country.

He said unhealthy competition and internal rivalry over control of these establishments had frequently escalated into violence, posing further challenges to public safety.

The TIB chief also expressed concern over the continued collection of daily, monthly and one-off extortion payments.

He noted that a government minister had on several occasions described extortion as “not corruption, but a negotiated transaction”, while the government had taken no action over the minister’s position.

Such inaction, he said, risked further normalising extortion and land-grabbing.

Referring to the Kishoreganj clash between rival BNP factions over a water body and the vandalism of a creative studio, Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the incidents were not isolated cases but part of a continuing pattern since August 2024.

He warned that such activities were undermining the government’s positive initiatives and stated commitment to good governance while sending a damaging message to the public.

The TIB executive director said the ruling party risked losing the opportunity to bring land-grabbing and extortion under control if it failed to honour its election pledges against corruption through effective self-purification measures.

He cautioned that allowing vested interest groups to operate without firm action could cause the situation to spiral out of control.

The statement acknowledged that the ruling party had taken organisational measures, including expulsions, following embarrassment at senior levels over the activities of some party activists.

However, TIB said the absence of a strong preventive strategy continued to undermine such actions.

It also alleged that law enforcement agencies had been unable to take effective action against those involved in abuses of power because of their direct or indirect links with the ruling party.

As a consequence, a culture of impunity, corruption, irregularities and political high-handedness was being re-established, for which TIB held the government responsible.

The organisation called for proper investigations into every such incident and exemplary punishment for those found responsible.

It also urged the ruling party to launch a nationwide self-purification drive to rein in its members and demonstrate its commitment to accountability, public safety and the rule of law.