Conspiracy against the state

The Public Administration Ministry issued a gazette notification on reformed quota system in public service following a recent verdict of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC). As per the notification, the government has fixed 93 percent posts of the total jobs will be filled up from merit list, while five percent quota has been kept for the children of Valiant Freedom Fighters', martyred Freedom Fighters and Biranganas, one percent for ethnic minorities and one percent for the people with disabilities and third gender. The notification said if eligible candidates cannot be found from the quotas, the vacant posts will be filled up from the merit list. 

New quota system will be followed while recruiting employees in government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions, statutory bodies and different corporations in all grades for ensuring the policy of equity and the representation of underprivileged groups of society in the works of the republic. It said the gazette notification of the Public Administration Ministry issued on October 4, 2018 has been repelled.

The people are in fear, are in trouble by seeing the massive attack of the attacker. They must set up a goal and they have a pre-planned to attack the targeted institute. They have destroyed metro rail, Bangladesh roads and transport authority office, toll plaza of elevated express way and Dhaka-Chittagong highway toll plaza and others. On average, more than 50 thousand crore tk have been destroyed due to the ongoing clash and conflict. The authorities of the state are trying to identify the criminals those who are liable for the heinous incidents.

At least 30 major establishments, including the main building of Bangladesh Television, two metro rail stations, Khaja Tower, hub of the city’s internet data cables, Setu Bhaban, along with the vehicles of police and BGB, were torched and severely damaged by protesters during the anti-quota movement on Thursday and Friday last. The miscreants launched arson attacks also on other different government and political party offices, police stations-outposts and toll plazas during the two-day violent protests in the capital and other parts of the country, according to police and civil defence sources.  

Fire Service and Civil Defence duty officer Khaleda Yeasmin said two fire engines went to the BTV station but were resisted by the protesters from entering. Another major establishment-the Department of Disaster Management in the capital’s Mohakhali was set on fire by violent protesters. The fire badly damaged the cables of some data centres located in an adjacent building snapping the internet connections. Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh president Emdadul Haque said the centres lost at least 30 percent of their total bandwidth because of the damaged cables.

In the evening, the Setu Bhaban, an important government installation, was set on fire, damaging dozens of vehicles parked in front of the building, said an official of the Bridges Division. The ground floor of the building was totally vandalised, he added. At least three police outposts in Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi-27 and Mirpur in the capital were vandalised by the protesters.

A vehicle of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) came under attack in Hatijheel and protesters at one stage set the vehicle on fire. The violent protesters also launched an attack on the Banani toll plaza of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway and set it on fire.

On Wednesday evening, a group of demonstrators torched the toll plaza of the Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover in Jatrabari in the city. In Madaripur, protestors set ablaze a police outpost and vandalised the offices of the superintendent of police and deputy commissioner. The protesters also set fire to a police outpost near the Madaripur launch terminal and the district Awami League office, according to police sources.

Sources in the Fire Service and Civil Defence said they received information of at least 33 violence-related fire incidents across the country from July 17 to July 18 midnight. Twenty-three of those incidents took place in the Dhaka city corporation area. The fire service sources said that at least five vehicles of their department were damaged and four staffers suffered injuries.

The deployment of the army was a strategic decision by government to reinforce the capacity of the civil administration in managing a complex and volatile situation. The civil administration was facing significant challenges due to the intensity of the protests and the resulting violence. The army's role was to provide additional support and resources to ensure that public order could be restored effectively and that the safety of all citizens, including protesters, could be secured.Measures were taken to ensure that the use of force was limited to what was necessary to restore order and protect public safety.

The government should take effective and efficient action to protect the public life and their property. In this case, they get the support from the general citizen of the state. The law enforcement agency should maintain the tactics and policies to identify the attacker. The conspirator has destroyed the state’s institution and property.We have a demand to our government; the proper investigation is must necessary to identify the culprit. The influencer or motivator of this destruction should also identify and proceed to police for further investigation. The civil society people should stand their position on the protection of our state sovereignty. The military force is helping the government under the civil administration. All are trying to protect the state’s sovereignty and protect the life of mass people of Bangladesh.   

The writer is the Assistant Professor and Chairman, Dept. of Criminology and Police Science, University of Chittagong.