It is not surprising that the attorney general of Bangladesh, Md Asaduzzamanโa BNP leaderโhas been abusing power to justify all crimes of the Yunus-led and Jamaat-controlled interim government since his appointment.
After gross manipulation in the recruitment in courts and justifying the state-sponsored mob violence, the attorney general recently declared that the Awami League cannot take part in the next electionsโapparently due to the unlawful ban on its activities, imposed on May 12, until the trials at the International Crimes Tribunal are completed.
After the ban, the Election Commission also suspended the party registration for an indefinite period.
His recent statements in favour of the extrajudicial killings and alleged mob violence have created a new controversy, as the attacks are mainly aimed at exterminating the Awami League.
He asserted that the mob attacks do not stem from people’s mistrust of the judiciary. Instead, these acts represent the accumulated anger from the past 17 years. This rage, though, is inappropriate.
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Human rights activists have expressed anger at his statement, who believe that the chief legal officer of the judiciary is legitimising mob violence, with the general public expressing serious concerns over law and order.
Against the backdrop, the offices of the Chief Justice, Attorney General, and the Law Ministry are working in tandem to earn money through filing fake cases and intimidation of the Awami League leaders and activists in courts.
They have failed to ensure human rights or uphold the Constitution and have instead acted in opposition to these principles.
Moreover, under the watch of the trio, the judiciary is being used as a pawn of the government and its key allies like Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP, as we have seen that convicted politicians have been acquitted or given bail in terrorism and war crimes cases.
On the other hand, Awami League leaders and activists are barred from accessing due legal measures, and those arrested in wholesale murder cases are denied bail and assaulted in the courts as part of an unlawful policy.
According to various rights organisations, 253 mob attacks occurred in 10 months, from September 2024 to June last year. In this, 163 people were killed and 312 were injured.
The culture of bypassing the law and taking justice into one’s own hands is being established due to the governmentโs patronisation.
Since the arrest of the former CEC and freedom fighter, KM Nurul Huda, on June 22, several advisers and the chief adviserโs press secretary have defended mob violence, while some have redefined mobs as pressure groups.
AG Asadโs comments echo their view.
He was appointed as the Attorney General of Bangladesh on August 8, hours before the interim government, led by Westโs puppet Muhammad Yunus, took oath to legitimise the unconstitutional administration through forgery.
Political stunt
Despite the Attorney General’s neutral and dignified constitutional position, on June 10, Asad held an administrative meeting with leaders of the BNP and their affiliates in Lalpur, Natore, where he clearly instructed the administration to support the BNP.
He also sent a message of party bias by attending a dinner at the house of a local political leader with top police officers from seven police stations in Natore.
However, he did not express even the slightest sympathy for the families of the deceased and injured or student representatives.
After August 5, there are also allegations against him for acquitting the guilty based on party identity, political interference in sensitive cases, and case trading. In this situation, his position is not only questionable but extremely objectionable.
The conscious civil society of Nthe atore district has expressed deep concern over this incident and strongly condemned such partisan behaviour of a constitutional officer.
They have demanded that Asad be removed immediately through an impartial investigation, as he has lost the morality and legitimacy of his position. A patriotic and impartial person must be appointed to this position to serve the interests of the nation and democracy.
Mob attacks in courts
While Asaduzzaman was BNP’s human rights secretary, he received support from domestic and international organisations. They raised various allegations against the Awami League, including disappearances and extrajudicial killings. But after August 5, human rights violations reached a critical level.
On May 13, BNP-backed lawyers chased former Awami League lawmaker Momtaz Begum in the Dhaka court premises. On April 18, an attempt was made to attack former Law Minister Anisul Haque on the court premises in Narayanganj.
The mob attack on former Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda’s house in Uttara caused a huge stir as the on-duty police took no action. Some of the perpetrators are top leaders of the BNP’s Swechchasebak Dal, and they got bail within hours.
The grassroots leaders and activists of the BNP are also involved in occupying government land and taking over businesses belonging to individuals affiliated with the Awami League. They are also collecting tolls from different markets and trucks and buses.
On July 2, BNP activists killed Rafiqul Islam, a mentally disabled man, after tying him to a tree and torturing him in Jhikargachha, Jessore, for expressing anger over the suspension of government allowance.
There is no evidence of political involvement against the deceased. Rather, locals said that he was only protesting to get his allowance back.
Dhaka University teacher and crime and social analyst Prof Dr Touhidul Haque said: “Mobs are like contagious diseases. If they are not stopped, they gradually spread. In any situation, incidents of conflict and violence arise, and in these incidents, those who are numerically stronger prey on the weak. The mobs that are happening now are completely motivated.”
A worrying picture of fake cases
Since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, there have been allegations that the rate of filing false cases in the country has increased alarmingly. Experts and human rights activists say that such cases are being misused for political vendettas and personal gain.
The most worrying thing is that instead of taking any stand against these cases, Muhammad Yunus is giving silent support.
Recently, a man named Solaiman Selim from the Fulbaria area of โโMymensingh claimed that a murder case was filed by โshowing him deadโ. When the police went to his address for investigation, he himself came to know about the โfake deathโ and the case. Fearing for his life, he filed a general diary (GD) with the local police station.
Sheikh Hasina has been named the main accused in the case. Other accused include Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Shamim Osman and 41 others, and 150-200 unidentified Awami League workers.
Earlier, on October 17, a fake attempt-to-murder case was filed at Khilgaon police station against Supreme Court lawyer Zahirul Islam Khan Panna (ZI Khan Panna). The case alleged that he tried to kill Ahadul Islam by shooting and beating him during the quota reform movement.
But the plaintiff in the case, Md Baker, admitted to the media that he did not know Panna and did not know who was accused in the case. Panna was later granted bail after facing widespread criticism.
A similar incident occurred with a deceased person named Rabi Das. The 64-year-old cobbler died of a stroke on July 18. But a case was filed on November 29 regarding his death, alleging that Awami League supporters killed him during the anti-quota movement.
The case names more than 450 people, including 168 who are clearly named, including Sheikh Hasina.
Moreover, after scrutinising the list of the deceased and injured in the July-August movement, at least five deaths were found to have been caused by other reasons.
Many people who had not participated in the movement and were not injured at that time have been labelled as July Joddha (July Warriors or July Fighters).
Many of the injured and the families of the fake martyrs have received assistance from the July Memorial Foundation by providing false information.
So far, more than 70 people who were included in the list of martyrs and July Warriors (injured) through fraud using fake documents have been identified.
Foundation officials say they have written to the government to remove the names of 19 people from the Health Ministryโs MIS list. If scrutinised properly, another 1,000-1,500 fake injuries could be detected.
The Attorney Generalโs Office and the Law Ministry have not taken effective steps to end the harassment of the accused.
Case studies
Abu Sayed was killed in a mob lynching while extorting money in the Bahir Tenga area of Dhakaโs Demra on August 9 last year, according to the report by Banglanews24.com.
Son of Md Sekendar Ali and father of a child, Abu Sayed, has been mentioned on the list of the July martyrs at 179.
However, a Dhaka Post report from August 10 says Abu Sayed was the convener of Jubo Dalโs Ward No. 67 Unit. He was severely injured when some unidentified criminals attacked him with sharp weapons while he was taking tea in the area on the evening of August 9. Doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital declared him dead on arrival.
The names of the persons in the case could not be known immediately.
Md Imtiaz Hossain, son of Md Habibur Rahman of the Chatkhil area in โโNoakhali, was an employee of a courier service.
When the government fell on August 5, he participated in the looting of the Chatkhil police station and ran away with a weapon. On the way, he was accidentally shot in the leg and died of excessive bleeding.
Imtiaz is also included in the list of martyrs. His gazette number is 784.
Bijoy died in a motorcycle accident in Jatrabari on August 13 while going to a restaurant to buy paratha. He is also on the list of martyrs.
Al Amin was shot dead in a land dispute in the Wari area of โโOld Dhaka. His father filed a murder case at the Wari police station. His name is also on the list of martyrs.
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