Former chief election commissioner (CEC), KM Nurul Huda, was publicly humiliated on June 22 by being forced to wear a garland of shoes. In a video, one person can be heard saying, "what he has done by creating autocracy, this is his gift. He will not be able to create autocracy again."
A new benchmark for social humiliation is being set, and it could take a more dangerous form in the future. It’s difficult to predict where this trend will go. In the future, incidents like making someone stand with their ears pulled while wearing a garland of shoes, or cutting someone's hair in public, could be witnessed. What used to happen in rural arbitration is now taking a more generalized, acceptable form.
In the 2018 election, allegations were raised against KM Nurul Huda regarding voting irregularities during the day. Nurul Huda participated in the war of independence in Sector 9 of the Bangladesh Liberation War. After Bangladesh’s independence, he joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in the 1973 batch of freedom fighters.
Election manipulation is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh’s history. Previous governments have been seen using the Election Commission to come to power. In 1995, AKM Sadeq was appointed as the CEC of Bangladesh. The controversial February 15, 1996 election was held under his commission. During the 12-day government collapse of the BNP, AKM Sadeq was never humiliated by a garland of shoes, despite the circumstances.
In 2006, MA Aziz served as the CEC. There were allegations that BNP-Jamaat made him prepare a list of a few crore fake voters for the 2006 election in order to win. Within ten days after the "One-Eleven" crisis, he was forced to resign.
While AKM Sadeq is no longer alive, MA Aziz still is.
In 2008, MA Aziz met with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and claimed in the media that he had met with her for the purpose of receiving BNP’s nomination. In the 2018 election, KM Nurul Huda’s nephew, SM Shahjada, contested for the Patuakhali-3 parliamentary seat as a candidate of the Bangladesh Awami League.
On June 22, 2025, Chief Adviser of the GOB posted on Facebook, mentioning that former CEC Nurul Huda was arrested by the Uttara police in a specific case. The government also highlighted the chaotic situation created by the “mob” and the physical abuse of the accused.
The interim government has requested citizens to refrain from taking the law into their own hands. They have assured that the accused individuals would be tried in accordance with the country's laws, and the court would decide on the case and the individuals involved. They urged all citizens to adopt a tolerant role in the struggle for justice.
July Oikya leader AB Jubayer commented under that post, saying, "They don't have the strength to judge the killers. There is no courage to punish the corrupt, the frauds. Only the chant of 'mob, mob' remains." Jasim, a July warrior who lost his eye in the July uprising, said in response to the “mob” reference: “I beat the police in July. I broke Dhaka 32. I will slap Nurul Huda with a shoe. I will slap any scoundrel of autocracy I come across. If you have the guts, arrest me and call me ‘mob’."
While Jasim’s statement may not pose an immediate problem, it could potentially cause trouble for him later. In the age of video evidence, nothing can be erased -- just as nothing can be erased in July Revolution 2024. This situation reflects a decrease in people’s trust in the justice system, creating an environment where social humiliation is becoming the norm.
On behalf of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Supreme Court lawyer Aminul Ghani Titu, appointed as a State Defense Counsel by the International Crimes Tribunal, posted on Facebook on August 5, saying: “I demand the execution of Sheikh Hasina, the destroyer of the spirit of the Liberation War, the murderer, and the liar.” In response to the question of the appropriateness of appointing such a lawyer, International Crimes Tribunal Prosecutor Md Mizanul Islam said: "This is entirely within the Tribunal's jurisdiction. The prosecution has no role in this matter."
While incidents of social humiliation can be seen during the lifetime of certain individuals, such incidents have also occurred posthumously in Bangladesh as well. On October 25, 2014, during the transportation of Golam Azam’s body to Baitul Mukarram, shoes were thrown at the coffin. A decade later, on September 17, 2024, a similar incident occurred when the grave of former JaSaD General Secretary and Member of Parliament Moin Uddin Khan Badal was vandalized and set on fire.
If these incidents of social humiliation continue, it will escalate social anarchy. People may lose faith in the rule of law and take the law into their own hands, which will ultimately create an unstable environment in society. Therefore, if an environment is not created to prevent such unforeseen incidents, Bangladesh will not only become politically unstable but also witness increasing conflicts in society, which will stand as an obstacle to achieving the core goals of anti-discrimination movements of 2024.
Sahad Amin is a former sub-editor at the Dhaka Tribune.