Catching an alleged mugger and setting him on fire by pouring kerosene all over his body at Mirpur last Monday night raked up a nightmarish memory. We can't forget that not so long ago lynching became a regular occurrence just about anywhere in the country. But mostly alleged muggers would either be beaten to death or set on fire by angry crowds in broad daylight in the capital city. At that time, the violent mob action against suspected snatchers was put down to public frustrations over a general deterioration in the law and order situation. But the latest incident took place at a time when petty crimes like mugging had come down to a considerable extent, especially since the operation by the joint forces began in October.

But the fact is the potential for such incidents lurks and that's where we need to be on guard. Police said that there was no case against him, though the local people alleged that he was involved in criminal activities. Therefore, it is only natural for us to wonder whether he was a victim of enmity. It is not impossible for anyone to frame someone and instigate the onlookers against that person. We have seen how ugly mob temper can get in such situations. But we are yet to know for sure whether those who had been lynched earlier on were all real criminals or several of them were just victims of circumstances.

We think the police could have played an effective role in preventing this happening. There should have been proper investigations into the unnatural deaths that had occurred in the past. If only those cases were seriously gone into, people would have thought twice before taking law into their own hands. At the same time, we would also urge the citizens to be respectful of rule of law; they should realise that beating someone to death or setting him on fire amounts to murder. They must hand over such people to the police in all circumstances.