The current void in the country’s law and order situation has certainly resulted in a raft of safety and security-related issues for citizens. Since the fall of the previous government, Bangladesh has witnessed an uptick in the number of crimes of varying scope, while last Wednesday’s incident where a mob managed to successfully demolish Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence in the capital’s Dhanmondi Road 32 being something of a crescendo.
In this context, rampant extortion being reported across the country might not sound like much, but the problem, if left unchecked, stands to pose a great threat. According to news reports, organized groups, allegedly with links to influential local figures, are operating extortion rackets at various points along national and regional highways -- these groups primarily target trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles, coercing payments from drivers. Those who refuse to comply face harassment, intimidation, and, in some cases, outright physical assault.
A recent study by Transparency International Bangladesh sheds further light on this phenomenon, revealing that private buses and minibuses pay nearly Tk1,059.37 crore annually in extortion money, while stating that political affiliates, highway police personnel, city corporations, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, and municipal officials have been implicated in collecting these illicit payments.
Clearly this is yet another issue borne of corruption and yet another case for the swift and sweeping reform of our political and law enforcement landscape.
It is bad enough that the country is undergoing a historic void in law and order, but for our own law enforcement, and indeed our political quarters, to further exacerbate the issue with their unscrupulous greed is not something that the administration can afford to become comfortable with.
It is good to know that the interim government has announced its plans to combat the recent crime wave in the form of various operations. Combatting extortion of such scope requires political will, and the administration’s stated reforms cannot come sooner to that end.