The recent incident in Comilla and its ripple effects elsewhere in the country have resulted in so much of shock, insecurity, and frustration among the victims. Our media -- print, electronic, and social -- have become oversaturated with news and views.
In analyzing the unfortunate events, politicians, social workers, educationists, cultural activists, human rights activists, journalists, and ordinary people all have spoken their minds, delving into causes and factors instigating people to launch such heinous attacks on fellow citizens on flimsy pretexts and with no fault of the victims at all.
Some have gone digging into history to find the two-nation theory, the genie in Jinnah, and the division of the sub-continent in 1947 and its impacts that still remain as a dormant volcano, erupting at unpredictable times. Some blame our departure from the founding cornerstones of the nation, as secularism became compromised with distortion of the constitution. Our constitution has been distorted with elements imported later, such as the insertion of Islam as state religion. The fact that our journey in democracy was disrupted by military rule is also mentioned as an important factor impacting people’s psyche, resulting in such ugly practices of unleashing mayhem on fellow citizens.
The speed and ferocity with which the violence and the acts of hatred and vengeance were unleashed is unprecedented, even during the rule of autocrats. If we take Comilla as the epicentre, it spread in all directions, and even to a far flung habitat of Rangpur, and caught us unawares.
Some blame the government’s leniency towards Islamists represented by Hefazat-e-Islam for instance, as a further compromise to its secular stance. There are even questions being raised as to why the government is making model mosques in each upazila with elaborate facilities, when there is no dearth of mosques in the country.
Beyond all these analyses, there is no denying the fact that a major role is being played by the media held in our palms. We talk so much about digital Bangladesh. We may be quite far from yielding its actual and intended benefits, but its evils are widespread, already turning it into a weapon to spread venomous rumours in split seconds. If we take a good look at any gathering in our towns and villages, we shall find people in droves loitering around with no jobs. With this device which they hold very close to their hearts, they indulge in useless pursuits such as browsing aimlessly, cheap entertainment, and using Facebook to spread rumours.
Setting houses of innocent inhabitants ablaze, looting their belongings, vandalizing their gods and goddesses gave them some perverted pleasure of accomplishment. We should not care whether they are saintly-looking, beard-sporting moulanas from madrasas, or young men smartly attired in their jeans and t-shirt. Do they have any idea what the constitution is? If the status of a particular religion is taken out from the constitution, what impact will it have on people on the street? Well, we were no less Muslims when we didn’t have a state religion promulgated. Has it helped us in doing away with corruption, bribery, adulteration of food, and reduction of crime rates from the society being overwhelmingly Muslim? Has it enhanced poverty alleviation through payment of zakat in the country? Some argue that the absence of avenues for people to indulge in good pastimes like theatre, drama, music, and other amenities in the cultural arena, the vacuum is being filled in by bigotry and intolerance.
Some are even drawing attention to examples from history as to how India annexed Hyderabad, Sikkim, and Goa, for instance. They point out that similar kinds of communal riots were being instigated, and ultimately India stepped in with force to complete the annexation. It is quite far-fetched though, some people are trying to point to similarities of some kind to recent incidents happening in Bangladesh in view of the reaction these are drawing from certain quarters across the border.
Isn’t it mind-boggling to read and listen to all that is being propagated? I am sure people will be interested in accessing all available resources, and exploiting them to suit their choice and temperament. It goes without saying that mostly people are peace-loving, who would like to live in harmony with whoever their neighbours are. While good and evil are two sides of the same coin, enmeshing every human being, we cannot let the evil go unchecked and unchallenged.
It is human instinct to indulge in evil, and more so when impunity is guaranteed. Whatever the reasons are, the evil-mongers have outsmarted and outwitted our intelligence, law enforcement, administration, and politicians who are so complacent over their ability and outreach.
Instead of indulging so much in academic research on history and the kind of predictions being made, what simply we need to do is, remain alert against any such mishap anywhere in the country. This will demand vigilance on the part of the law enforcers and citizens alike. There has to be continuous communication among local socio-political organizations at the grassroots level and law enforcers. Our intelligence agencies need to gear up all assets to read any available signs, whether on the ground or floating in the cloud, that predict, forecast, and prompt for preventive actions.
Punitive measures must be quick and exemplary against identified culprits, they must be well publicized to gain people’s confidence, and do away with the existing culture of impunity and delay in getting justice.
We need to reach the perpetrators and puppeteers hiding behind the scapegoats, which may not be easy. Meanwhile, let it be the task of our able intellectuals to find whether and how the state religion, or insertion of a particular line in school textbooks, has impacted popular behaviour towards instigating such violence.
Brig Gen QazI Abidus Samad, ndc, psc (retd) is a freelance contributor. Email: showkat1959@gmail.com.