Online Voices

4 killed as cops fire on BNP men
100 policemen among 450 injured countrywide; half-day hartal called in the towns today
(January 30, 2012)

Any investigation by police against police brutality and killing will not be acceptable. The Awami League leadership is to blame for using the national police force as their own party goons and they have made every effort for a confrontation at all cost. Playing with fire may burn their own house.
Jumana Sarwar

This is probably a prelude to a civil war with no clear winner. We probably do not deserve to be independent but ruled by others. What a shame!
Dev Saha

In such cases, police usually go berserk, often leading to casualties that further smears their image and alienate them from the public. The political parties are out to show their strength on the streets which they term as democratic movement. The government in such cases usually go for coercive action against the opposition politicians. But the other day, they were also on the street, agitating in the same way. Ironically, power blinds the ruling class and they take no lesson from history.
M. Shafiqul Alam

Where is our home minister? Who has empowered the police to resort to open fire and kill people demonstrating against the government? My question to the government, why not allow the opposition to observe its demonstration programme and remain vigilant so that its activists do not resort to killing, arson and looting of public properties? The home minister is too partisan and does not have control over her law enforcing forces.
Upfront

This is how we are repaying the debt of our martyrs,' who made their supreme sacrifice for our freedom. But people of Bangladesh love democracy. They have proven it many times at the cost of their blood.
Tipu

Is it called democracy? How much blood do we have to shed to free the country again?
Anonymous

We can't expect any good things from our two big parties. They are doing politics for their own interests, not for the general people.
Shibli

What a disgrace to democracy! The AL has scrapped the caretaker government system and killed the protesters who opposed this by using the police force. The AL is showing its true face.
Maruf

Were Pakistanis more brutal than Bangladeshi police? Pakistan army killed Bangalees in 1971 and now Bangladeshi police are killing Bangalees after forty years of independence. What is the difference?
Anonymous

This is absolutely unfortunate for the nation. The party in power should maintain the democratic norms, principles and culture. The law enforcing agencies should play impartial role in maintaining law and order during any political movements without violating the human rights.
Mayen Uddin Tazim

Why did the ruling party take the hard line before the BNP started their tough movement against Awami League-led government?
Nasirullah Mridha, USA

We the Bangladeshis are being tortured and killed by the Indian BSF in the border region and by our own police inside the country. Being poor and powerless, we have nowhere to go and no one to look after our interests.
Shimul

Back to the days of Ershad! What a democracy!
Raihan