Law and Order Crisis Threatens Investment in Bangladesh

Sakhawat Hossain

Foreign investment is essential to boost the country’s economy. Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman is trying hard to encourage foreign investors to invest in Bangladesh. He is also receiving promises from them. But the first condition for any investment is political stability and control over law and order.

The elected government has been in power for eight months. Political stability has come, but law and order is still not under control. Horrific killings keep happening one after another. In the past nine months, 151,596 cases have been filed across the country. Many crimes never reach a police case, so the real number is even higher.

Crime experts say poor coordination is a main reason for the decline. The Home Ministry, Police Headquarters and the field administration do not work well together. Because of this, local and foreign investors dare not make new investments. Law and order has simply not come under control.

Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman, adviser to the Prime Minister on information and broadcasting, admitted this to journalists a few days ago. He said the police force has not yet reached the desired level of capacity, confidence and morale. Police behavior under the past regime and public anger over it have left a lasting effect on the force. Things improved after the national election in February, but the crisis has not fully ended.

During the interim government, an international investment summit was held in Dhaka. Investors from 52 countries promised to invest Tk 32,000 crore. They said they would invest after an elected government came to power, depending on political stability and law and order. Mr. Tarique Rahman is also working in many ways to attract foreign investors. But foreigners still do not feel confident because of the poor law and order situation.

A video has spread on social media showing Jamaat activist Nizam being shot inside a shop in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali. Nizam is a grocery shopkeeper. He was shot yesterday around 10 pm at Jinu Market in Number 1 Amanullahpur union. He is now being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

In Sitakunda, Jubo Dal activist Bappi was dragged off his motorcycle on a paved road near Olinagar Tin Rastar Mor in Barabkunda union. Attackers hacked and shot him dead. This happened at about a quarter to 11 pm a few days ago. Recently in Khulna, armed robbers hacked both wrists of a police inspector with a machete and left him seriously injured.

A few days ago in Cumilla, miscreants hacked Jubo Dal leader Abu Kawsar to death while he was going to a village arbitration. Before that, in Durgapur of Netrokona, attackers shot journalist Lutfuzzaman Alif Fakir dead after announcing the attack in advance. They entered a tea shop only 50 yards from his home. There are also extortion, robbery, mugging and kidnapping cases, and factory workers have attacked police on the road during protests.

Crime and social experts say it is urgent to restore the police chain of command. They also want all law enforcement agencies, including intelligence agencies, to work together. They say weak rule of law, weak police capacity and poor monitoring are the biggest challenges in controlling crime. Just when political stability has come and foreign investment is possible, the crime picture shows both discomfort and worry.

A comparative report on the law and order situation was presented at a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the Home Ministry. It shows that 151,596 cases were filed from January to September this year. In the same period last year the number was 137,806. So cases have risen by 13,790 in one year.

The meeting also discussed steps against drug abuse, extortion, mugging, teen gangs and organized crime across the country. It recommended building the capacity of law enforcement agencies and using modern technology. People say they do not feel safe on busy roads, near important sites, in residential areas, or even at home. Targeted killing, theft, rape, cybercrime, fights and extortion have become daily news.

Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Mr. Ashraful Islam told Daily Inqilab that law and order did not collapse suddenly. He said overall law and order has not improved since the mass uprising of 2024. Police morale has broken down, and the relevant ministry is failing to restore it. When criminals see that they escape punishment, new crimes happen and others are encouraged to join them.

He also said the country lacks jobs. Many young people become addicted to drugs and get involved in crime. Social and economic unrest adds to the problem, so crime and worry are rising.

Mr. A B M Nazmus Sakib, associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Dhaka, also spoke to Daily Inqilab. He said extortionists and criminals have no political party or identity, but they take shelter under political groups. Their only goal is to make money, and they take easy routes instead of honest work. In Bangladesh, criminals often have political backing, so the administration is unwilling to step in.

He said the police have the ability to control any crime, but they lack freedom. By law, police can question any suspicious person at any time, but they do not get backup. Without political support, it will be hard for law enforcement to control extortionists and terrorists. Police arrest only mid level and low level criminals, while the godfathers stay hidden. These godfathers use the name of a political party or a powerful group to take money from people.

He said arresting small criminals on the ground is not enough, and the root must be cut. For this, he said, the sincere will of the government is the only thing needed. The government must be sincere first.

Some recent incidents show the situation clearly. Last month in Khulna city, Azmal Hossain, a student of North Western University, was beaten to death in a hostel over a false claim of stealing rice. In Savar, Dhaka, Special Branch sub inspector Altaf Hossain was beaten to death in public at Amin Bazar. At the same time, miscreants shot dead a businessman named Asman Khan inside his office in Shanir Akhra.

A day earlier, the body of a man named Mr. Md. Ismail, 50, was found with tape over his mouth on the Banani part of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway. In late August, Ranjina Parvin, 55, head teacher of a primary school in Bogura, died after falling from an auto rickshaw when a mugger pulled her bag in front of the south plaza of the National Parliament. In August, more than Tk 1.21 crore was stolen from a business office in Uttara, Dhaka. In June, Shahinur Begum, 38, and her three daughters were hacked to death in Raipur of Lakshmipur. Locals beat the accused, Antar Majumder, and he later died in hospital.

In August, the bodies of a retired teacher, his wife, daughter and son were found in a locked house in Rangpur.

At an event in Dhaka, IGP Mr. Ali Hossain Fakir said puja is being held peacefully at more than 33,000 puja mandaps across the country. He said this is possible through the joint efforts of puja committees, local people and law enforcement agencies. He said the police alone cannot keep law and order, so citizens must cooperate. He added that police effectiveness depends on public support.