The police batoned the gathering of progressive student organizations in Shahbagh of the capital to protest against the increase in the price of fuel oil. Such behavior cannot be expected in a pre-announced program from those whose ethos is the suppression of evil and the fostering of virtue. 20 protesters were injured and undergoing treatment.
Those who protested in Shahbagh did not take to the streets for their own sake. They held a rally to protest against the increase in the price of fuel in the interest of the people. Why are they the victims of the baton? In a democratic state, all citizens have the right to peaceful assembly and procession on any matter of public interest. This right is given by the constitution.
The police did not admit to the baton on the night of the incident. According to the news published at the same time on August 8, the protestors alleged that they were beaten under the leadership of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADC) Harun Or Rashid of Ramna Zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). However, ADC Harun told Samakal that this matter is not in his knowledge. The person accused of leading the caning, even though he said he did not know, the pictures of the beating came in the media.
On August 8, Samakal’s front page picture shows some policemen beating protesters with batons. Although they did not admit to the baton on Sunday night, the police filed a case against the protestors at the Shahbag police station on Monday. This case is in the name of known and unknown persons on the charge of obstructing the police from performing their duties.
The fact that the public is suffering due to the increase in fuel prices is also evident in the statements of some of the government policy makers. However, they termed it as a temporary problem. A minister advised to accept the temporary suffering, terming it as the birth pain of development due to increasing traffic congestion due to metro rail work in Dhaka metropolis.
We know that the police are on the wrongdoers-criminals. But on Sunday evening, as part of the pre-announced program to protest against the increase in the price of fuel, the protest procession of the left organizations started from the TSC area of Dhaka University. The marchers took Shahbagh and Kantaban intersections and gathered again at Shahbagh. Why the sudden attack here? Is it wrong to protest the suffering of ordinary people?
We have seen this kind of baton in the past too; But then the police defended themselves to the media and explained the context of the action. But on Sunday I got a new experience. The police did not admit the matter as ‘not in the knowledge’.
Curbing the language of protest diminishes the beauty of democracy. Bangladesh is not a police state. It is a democratic state. Different people live here. Any citizen who is aggrieved can protest peacefully. Experts are criticizing the increase in fuel oil prices by executive order without a hearing in the Energy Regulatory Commission. Now to go to action against all those experts?
The situation seems to be – ‘Rice giver murod nai, kill giver gonsai’. The best decision would be to stop these action-reaction games and bring the price of fuel within the buying range for public interest. In addition, if the thought of increasing the price of electricity and gas is left out of the mind in this reality, the public will be relieved.
Identifying and taking action against the policemen who batoned the protesters would enhance the prestige of the police department. If indeed the protestors obstruct the work of the police then action can be taken as per law. But without proper evidence, why the effort to suppress the voice with the case after the baton?
Source: Samakal
