Dhaka, Feb 2 (IANS) As the law and order situation continues to deteriorate in Bangladesh under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, the anti-graft watchdog--Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB)-- on Monday warned that failure to curb mob violence could impact the February 12 national election in the country, local media reported.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman made the remarks during a programme at the TIB office in Dhaka.
“If mob violence is not properly addressed, it will inevitably affect the election, like it affects other sectors,” Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted Iftekharuzzaman as saying.
“The phenomenon of mob violence in Bangladesh actually started from within the government. The country’s administrative centre, the Bangladesh Secretariat, became the place where mobs first emerged,” he said, noting that the groups identified as mobs consolidated power, eroding the interim government’s moral authority.
Addressing election-related violence, Iftekharuzzaman said, “We all hope that there will not be a single killing and not a single incident of violence. But we cannot guarantee that.”
He stressed that risk assessments must take the worst-case scenario into account.
“From that perspective, we believe the risk of violence will remain not only until February 12, but also for several days afterwards,” Iftekharuzzaman noted.
He further cautioned that “If the government does not take effective steps, mob violence will influence the election.
Questioning whether post-July 2024 accountability measures are aimed at justice or seeking revenge, Iftekharuzzaman said several initiatives, including trials for crimes against humanity, corruption and other offences, might not be impartial.
“The question remains how much of this is justice and how much is revenge, especially when professional positions are misused to target certain individuals,” he stated.
Iftekharuzzaman criticised the interim government’s latest ordinances -- the Broadcasting Ordinance and the Media Commission Ordinance -- describing them as a “symbolic and misleading step” that strengthened state control over the media while neglecting previous reform recommendations.
“This is nothing more than an attempt to further increase government control over the media under the guise of reform,” he said.
Bangladesh has been witnessing an alarming rise in violence and a degrading law and order situation since the Yunus-led interim government assumed power in 2024.
--IANS
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