Experts call for cabinet committee meeting on law and order

Despite following a zero-tolerance policy to control the law-and-order situation, the desired results have not been achieved. Not only that, authorities have also been instructed that even if ruling party leaders and activists are involved in extortion, land grabbing or any crime related activities, they can be arrested without approval from higher authorities. At the same time, special operations are underway across the country to arrest criminals.

However, senior officials of the law enforcement agencies are concerned over several recent criminal incidents in the capital Dhaka and different parts of the country. They have also held several urgent meetings on the overall situation. According to them, criminals are getting bail after their arrest because of weaknesses in investigations and are becoming involved in criminal activities again.

Despite this situation, the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order is not active. It is the highest forum responsible for overseeing the country’s overall law and order situation. Previous governments have controlled various disorderly situations based on recommendations from this forum.

The committee was formed seven months ago with 10 ministers and state ministers under the leadership of the home minister. However, it has not held a single meeting so far. Crime experts have advised that the forum should be activated urgently and on a priority basis.

Dr. Towhidul Haque, associate professor at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research at the University of Dhaka and a social and crime expert, told Agamir Somoy, “The government forms various cabinet committees according to their importance. It is undesirable that the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order has not been able to hold a single meeting in the past seven months. Most of the ministers and state ministers in the government are new. They have weaknesses in knowledge and experience. There is no alternative to regular meetings to make the committees effective.”

However, the government says that the law-and-order situation is gradually improving. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, who is the convener of the cabinet committee, has claimed that the law-and-order situation is under the government’s control. He said it is not right to assess the country’s overall law and order situation based on one or two isolated incidents. The government is working continuously to establish peace in society and ensure public safety. The home minister made these remarks while speaking to journalists after a meeting on security arrangements for Durga Puja at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

After winning the 13th national election, the BNP formed a government under the leadership of Tarique Rahman on February 18. Later, on February 25, the interim government’s “Advisory Committee on Law and Order” was dissolved. The Cabinet Division then formed a new committee with the home minister as its convener.

The other members of the committee are Minister for Women and Children and Social Welfare Abu Zafar Md. Zahid Hossain, Minister for Industries and Commerce Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Asaduzzaman, State Minister for Power and Energy Anindya Islam Amit, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, State Minister for Women and Children and Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, State Minister for Land Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin and the minister of the relevant ministry.

Among the officials assisting the committee are the cabinet secretary, chief secretary, home secretary and secretaries of the relevant ministries and divisions, principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division, chief of general staff of the army headquarters, inspector general of police, or IGP, and the director generals of DGFI and NSI, along with heads of various forces.

“It is not right to assess the country’s overall law and order situation based on one or two isolated incidents.”
Home Minister

The committee will monitor and review the country’s overall law and order situation and make recommendations for improvement. If the law-and-order situation deteriorates, it will observe and identify the causes and make necessary recommendations to address them.

The committee is also authorized to provide advice to prevent hartals, blockades, strikes and other incidents that disrupt normal public life. It can also provide advice to resolve public suffering and disruptions caused by such incidents.

The notification does not specify how often the committee will meet. However, in the past, the committee held meetings every one or two months. There have also been instances when it held two meetings in a month when necessary. During the interim government, the committee held 20 meetings in one and a half years.

When asked about the matter, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Manzur Morshed Chowdhury, who provides secretarial support to the committee, told Agamir Somoy at his office, “Although the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order is not holding meetings, the core committee is meeting every few days. All types of decisions are being made there. The situation is much better than before. There are no mobs on the streets like before.”

There is a core committee led by the home minister to assess the country’s law and order and internal security situation and determine necessary courses of action.

The members of the committee are the senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, IGP, director general of the Special Security Force, or SSF, director generals of DGFI, BGB, Ansar VDP, National Security Intelligence, or NSI, National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre, or NTMC, Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, and Coast Guard.

In addition, the additional IGP of the Special Branch of Police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence and a representative at the rank of brigadier general from the Armed Forces Division are members of the committee. The additional secretary of the political branch of the Ministry of Home Affairs serves as the member secretary of the committee. It is essentially an internal committee of the ministry.

An official of the Ministry of Home Affairs said the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order and the core committee are not the same. At least 10 ministers and state ministers are members of the cabinet committee, while only one minister is a member of the core committee. Most of its members are government officials.

Government policymakers have been embarrassed by several incidents that occurred in the capital over the past few days. These include a sudden attack on Radha Maternal and Child Health Family Planning Center, an attack in Mohammadpur allegedly aimed at grabbing land, an attack on New Guinea Properties in South Manikdi near ECB Chattar, vandalism at content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio, an attempt to seize an eight story building in Adabar, the escape of top drug trader “Pichchi Raja” from a prison van, despite being an accused in 25 cases, repeated clashes in Chattogram over the activities and dominance of teenage gangs, the killing of 13 year old school student Ishayat Shahriar Opritom in the forests of Lalmai Hills in Cumilla, the torching of a moving passenger bus in the Mirpur area and clashes in Mymensingh and Natore over land grabbing, among others.

At an event at the National Press Club on Monday, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of Nagorik Oikya, said, “People are experiencing insecurity everywhere in the country. The situation is such that it seems a festival of oppression is taking place. Yet such a situation was not supposed to occur after a major mass uprising.”

Recently, Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party, or NCP, and chief whip of the opposition, said at a press conference at his party office in Bangla Motor, “The law-and-order environment in the country is not right. The government is unable to control its party leaders and activists. Rather, land grabbing and related activities are taking place across the country with the cooperation of the administration.”

He claimed that the home minister had already failed. He said it would not be possible to normalize the situation while keeping the home minister in office.