‘Stop wholesale case filing, arbitrary arrests’

The University Teachers' Network (UTN) yesterday urged the government to stop wholesale case filing, arbitrary arrests, and political harassment in the name of investigating the recent Gopalganj incident.

In a statement to the media, the UTN strongly condemned the attack carried out by Awami League men during the National Citizen Party's (NCP) rally on Wednesday and the subsequent loss of lives in the clashes.

The group said the primary responsibility of the interim government is to restore normalcy in the area and warned that a prolonged abnormal situation in Gopalganj could negatively affect other parts of the country.

Even days after the incident, innocent people in Gopalganj have been living in fear of being arrested by government forces, which the UTN described as deeply concerning.

Referring to media reports, the statement said ordinary citizens were being harassed wholesale in the name of "arrest-trade" and "litigation-trade". So far, 277 people have been arrested in four cases filed over the incident, out of a total of 3,008 accused. Among those arrested are nine children under the age of 18, which, the UTN said, calls the rule of law into question.

The teachers' platform also criticised the failure of law enforcement agencies to prevent the violence, despite the government, as later admitted by the home adviser, having intelligence reports about possible unrest centring the NCP rally in Gopalganj, a known AL stronghold.

Despite the warnings, no effective preventive measures were taken by the law enforcement agencies or joint forces on the ground.

The UTN said the state had failed in its primary responsibility of protecting citizens' lives and called the Gopalganj incident a clear example of such failure.

"We are shocked by the horror of the events of that day and the human rights violations. We are concerned that such irresponsible behaviour by the government could jeopardise the future path of democracy," the statement read.

It said any investigation must examine whether there had been excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies to suppress the violence. In addition to identifying those responsible for the attack, the government must ensure accountability for any negligence by the authorities responsible for security.

It also called upon political parties, including NCP and the AL, whose political activities have been banned recently, to behave responsibly instead of creating unnecessary tension. Besides, it called for providing all levels of administration and law enforcement agencies with training on human rights and democratic behaviour.

The UTN said those who killed civilians using deadly weapons must be identified and brought to justice. The government must also ensure the constitutional right to medical treatment for the injured, provide compensation for the families of the dead and injured, and guarantee legal support and access to justice.

It is necessary to ensure that no innocent people are subjected to harassment or violence in such violent situations in the future and that no new examples of human rights violations are created, it added.