23/07/2024
A curfew has been imposed at a time when protesters have been clashing with police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) for four consecutive days.
Does this mean that law enforcement agencies have failed to control the situation?
In a sense, yes, as protesters have taken control of the Bangladesh Television building.
Former Police Chief AKM Shahidul Haque told BBC Bangla that "Police, BGB couldn't stop them. I think it's a big mistake."
However, Law Minister Anisul Huq believes that the forces responsible for maintaining peace have not failed. He told BBC Bangla that the government was forced to impose a curfew to stop the ongoing violence and protect important state institutions.
He said it was done to assist the civil administration.
The Law Minister said, "They have destroyed PI (critical infrastructure) and are trying to destroy the basic structure built with people's tax money for Bangladesh's development. We are forced to impose a curfew to protect it."
The Law Minister claims that those protesting against the quota system are not involved in the violence.
He alleged that it's the terrorists of some political parties who are instigating the public.
He said, "We have done what we need to do to stop the violence and protect people's lives. We hope to solve the problem with the curfew."
Retired Brigadier M Sahwat Hussein believes that the past few days have shown that the government's control has weakened.
He said, "I think the curfew was imposed because even after bringing in so much police, RAB, and BGB, the government couldn't control the protesters."
