IN THE aftermath of the joint operation by several thousand armed-to-the-teeth members of the police, the Rapid Action Battalion and the paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh early Monday, which dispersed thousands of Hefajat-ul-Islam leaders and activists from Motijheel, there seems to be intense speculation across society that the security and law enforcement action may have resulted in a significant number of deaths, with many, not necessarily affiliated with either the religion-based organisation or the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance, speculating the number to be more between 100 and 2,000. Such speculations, as we pointed out in these columns on Tuesday, have their roots in the fact that the operation was carried out at the dead of night, largely beyond the glare of the media, and also that the government forced two private television channels, linked with the opposition alliance, off the air. Subsequently, Hefajat claimed that more than 2,000 of its activists had been killed in the joint forces’ action while the BNP-led alliance put the number in the excess of 1,000, touching of further speculation and rumour.
In such circumstances, prudence dictated that the Awami League-led government would come up with a credible account of what had happened in the wee hours of Monday. However, what eventually came from the incumbents, via the AL joint general secretary, Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, amounts to a blatant affront to the intelligence of people at large. According to a report published in New Age on Tuesday, Hanif told a news conference at the AL president’s Dhanmondi office on Monday that ‘there was no killing’ during the operation and that ‘the whole Motijheel episode was aired live by TV channels.’ Neither of these claims tallies with the reality on the ground, though. First of all, sources in different hospitals in the capital, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital, were quoted by the media as saying that at least 10 people were killed and several others injured in the joint operation. As for live coverage of the operation by TV channels, his claim was based on half-truth. While the television crew was there at Motijheel during the operation, there were hardly any video footages of the actual operation other than repeated shots of members of the joint forces walking towards Shapla Chattar. The constant crackles of gunshots in the background could only have raised suspicion in the viewers’ mind that indiscriminate shooting took place during the operation. Moreover, the television channels that had shown several people lying in pools of blood during the operation were forced off the air.
It is entirely likely that the death toll as claimed by Hefajat and the BNP-led opposition may be significantly exaggerated. However, Hanif’s claim that ‘there was no killing’ was absolutely unfounded. The AL joint secretary general and his colleagues in the ruling party may blame the BNP and its allies of spreading lies as much as they want but, until and unless the incumbents come up with a credible account of what took place during the operation, speculation and rumour will be in circulation, with increasing intensity. That will only deepen uncertainty and sense of insecurity across society. It’s indeed ‘shameful for the nation’ to hear lies from politicians. However, it is even more shameful when, in the process of telling such lies, politicians actually question the common sense of the common people.