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Law stumbles on mob

Three major reasons behind growing number of killings

Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary
Mob killings continue unabated in the country, as the offenders seldom face trial in a society that seems to be plagued by a culture of impunity, say rights activists.
People's lack of respect for law and their growing distrust of law enforcement agencies for alleged corruption and discriminatory application of laws are also major reasons behind extra-judicial killings, they say.
According to psychiatrists, a person gets involved in such crimes for a lack of academic, religious, social and legal education. People harbouring violent attitudes often get infected with mob psychology and commit such offence.
Every year, more than a hundred people are killed in mob beating. Though the country's constitution gives all citizens the right to have equal protection of law, some people tend to take the law into their own hands.
In most cases, angry mobs beat people to death taking them for robbers or thieves without even verifying their identity. Consequently, many innocent people fall victims to mob killing.
Data of human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) shows at least 69 people were killed in mob beating in the first six months of this year.
Another rights organisation Odhikar puts the figure at 68.
Of the victims, 30 were suspected as robbers, 12 as thieves and cattle lifters, eight as muggers and snatchers, two as extortionists, two as criminals, and four others were suspected of committing crimes, according to Odhikar.
In its half-yearly report, it says, "Odhikar believes that due to a lack of respect for law, distrust of law enforcement agencies, and the weak criminal justice system, the tendency of taking the law into one's own hands is increasing."
Talking to The Daily Star, Dr Ifrekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, said, "This is a very ominous sign for the country."
A killing in mob beating is always considered an "isolated incident" but it should not be the case, he said.
Ifrekharuzzaman said the reason behind such killings lies in the term "mob beating". Law enforcers usually do not take action against the perpetrators whenever they find a man or woman killed in a mob beating.
Though this is a terrible crime, the perpetrators are never identified in most cases, let alone bringing them to book, he said.
Moreover, in exchange for money, some law enforcers often try to portray a murder as an incident of mob beating since such cases rarely see a trial, he said.
"Killing in mob beating continues unabated because the perpetrators are not brought to justice."
People often take law into their own hands with a perception that they would not get justice. Many believe that those with power would remain above the law.
But the offenders must be tried, whoever he is, and an example has to be set by punishing them to stop recurrence of such offences, said the TIB executive director.
Nina Goswami, senior deputy director (legal aid section) of the ASK, said trial of the perpetrators of mob killings was "very rare". One exception was the incident of Aminbazar killing in 2011.
In July that year, a mob killed six students in Aminbazar suspecting them as robbers. Sixty people were indicted for the killing and the trial of the case is on.
"There is no scope for taking the law into one's own hands against anybody even if he is a criminal. Every person has
the right to self-defence."
Though such horrific incidents take place often, they never come up in our discussions. This must not continue in a society that claims to be civilised. The government must act to stop it," she said.
Shalahuddin Qusar Biplob, associate professor of psychiatry at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said some people feel encouraged to indulge in mob beating when they see others do it.
"They often get involved in such acts for a lack of social, legal and religious education that control one's behav-
iour," he added.
Contacted, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal claimed whenever an incident of mob killing took place, cases were filed and action was taken against the offender. “It [filing of cases] is not be possible when the perpetrator can't be identified."
Asked about the experts' opinion that people's growing mistrust of law enforcers led to such killings, he said, "This is not true. Only journalists say this. Actually, common people do this [ mob beating] out of anger."