Pivotal role citizen security committee can play

It is heartening to know that a move is underway to form a citizen security committee for each police station in the country. When the police's morale is at its lowest, such a step may prove encouraging for lifting the spirit of the dejected members of the law enforcement agency. Through this initiative, involvement of the people in restoring law and order can be ensured along with turning the force as much pro-people as possible. Much as they may have played an anti-people role, particularly during the recent student movement, it is impossible to think of a state without the police. After all, the members of the police deployed at the field level have to follow the orders from their higher authorities. True, some may have committed excesses out of partisan considerations or in self-defence but not all are guilty of such offences. The offenders can be brought to justice.

So, to restore law and order at this critical juncture, the proposed citizen committees can play a crucial role. When the staff of a police station needs protection from the army and ansars, it is the local civilian leaders and eminent persons in different walks of life who can leave a sobering influence on relations between the police and the local community. Unfortunately, social influencers are not often the local leaders. So far it is the political leaders who have enjoyed power and backing of the administration. It is, therefore, highly important to form such committees for the police stations all across the country in a way that ensures unbiased operations of the men and women in uniform. Similar check and balance have also to be maintained between those in charge of the police stations and the citizen security committees. There should not be any tussle over the exercise of authority. The involvement of local coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement for determining the size of the committee, as proposed, may be extended to the role of mediation in case of difference in opinions on contentious issues.

Ideally, the police-people cooperation can change the country for the better. How? First, anti-social elements and all who committed arsons, loot and physical assaults on rivals and, particularly on minority communities, members of the transgender community allocated a cluster village in Bogura and those of the Ahmadiyya, are quite known to the local people. These are criminal acts and the perpetrators are easily identifiable. They must be nabbed and given punishment under the law of the land. The message has to be clear and loud that no one will be spared if they take advantage of a political crisis to attack communities not even remotely connected to the state power.

Here is a great opportunity to advance the basics of a neutral administration. Like the system of justice, governance also can be made fair and impartial for every citizen in this country. This is also at the core of the anti-discrimination principle. For establishing such cardinal values and principles of such an enlightened governance system, the homework has to be done comprehensively and its implementation should start from the grassroots level. The citizen security committees can be assigned to this pivotal role, provided that students have their watchdog bodies to monitor developments at every stage.