Incidents of kidnap mainly for ransoms have increased recently. In some cases, victims are killed. Seven bodies, including Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) panel mayor Nazrul Islam and his four associates, were recovered from the Shitalakhya River. He was abducted last week. The same day, Advocate Chandan Kumar Sarkar of Narayanganj court and his driver were also abducted. Earlier, Abu Bakkar Siddique, a prominent businessman, was abducted and was rescued after a day. Latter, businessman Saiful Islam was also abducted for ransom and rescued by the law enforcers.
Such frequent abductions have created panic among the people. The patterns of abduction are frightening. There is no guarantee that the victims will ever return even after payment of ransom. Bodies of some have been found while some of the abducted persons have been missing for long. Of late, most of the abducted people are well-known. In the past, such incidents were rare. People are confused as the families of the victims are blaming the law enforcers for the abductions while the lawmen are denying the allegations.
Abductions for political reasons, enmity or collecting ransom using the name of law enforcers are going on unabated in the capital and elsewhere in the country.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that the RAB and the police are sincerely trying to rescue the people kidnapped or missing. He also commented that some are spreading story of forced disappearance while they are actually hiding. Some are trying to derive political gains from incidents of abduction. Some organised criminals are committing abduction in disguise of the law enforcers. Attempts are there to identify them.
Increased incidents of abduction have not only given rise to tension but also spread violence, vandalism, damage of property recently. Supporters of Nazrul Islam flew into a rage on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway during a demonstration protesting his abduction. Common people occupied the streets after the abduction of Saiful Islam. They also rampaged through the highway and vandalised several vehicles on the highway turning a several-km area of the city into a battle field during the agitation. Thus, the situation has become volatile and is going out of control.
Crimes and methods of their prevention are inseperrable from any society but when crimes are widsperad and go beyond limit, they are a cause for serious concern. More than 50 people have been abducted, disapeared or murdered during one third of this year, according to reprots. In this situation, the formation of an Anti-abduction Squad by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is really a time-befitting step.
It is the duty of the state to ensure the security of its citizens irrespective of customs, creed, religion and party affiliation. But it is also impossible for the state to banish all the evils in the blink of an eye. So, all the political parties must share the responsibility for deterioration of the situation. The victims are not political people only, they are commoners also and the abductors don't belong to any particular political party. Whoever may be the criminals, they must be brought to face the law so that abduction and post-abduction killing become a thing of the past.
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