Mob violence must end to build a democratic system: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said 'mob violence' must end to build a truly democratic system in the country, report agencies.

"The foremost principle of democracy is tolerance of others' opinions. But what we see here is: I will speak, yet I will not allow you to speak. I will beat you, incite mob violence, gather a few people and say, 'Break it, smash it, beat him to death'… this is not democracy," he said.

The BNP leader made the remarks while unveiling the cover of a book titled 'Chobbisher Gono-Obbhutthane BNP (BNP's Role in the Mass Uprising of 2024)", at a city hotel on Wednesday.

The book was edited by photojournalist Babul Talukder.

Fakhrul expressed concern over what he described as attempts by a certain quarter to divert attention from the recent verdict against Sheikh Hasina for crimes against humanity by inciting mob violence in Dhanmondi.

"Sometimes I feel a bit frustrated. I feel frustrated when I look around Bangladesh. On one side, we see a court delivering a verdict against fascist Hasina for crimes against humanity, and on the other side, we see mobocracy and mob violence. I do not know what sign this is," he said.

The BNP leader feared that some quarters tried to reduce the importance of that verdict and shift global attention elsewhere by triggering mob violence.

"We must pay attention to these matters… We must remain alert as to whether a certain quarter is, with tricks and cunning, trying to divert this in a different direction. We must also see whether they are trying to create divisions," he added.

Fakhrul said the country cannot afford to turn into a failed state and must strengthen its democratic institutions.

"The essence of democracy is that I may not agree with you, but I will still defend your freedom to express your opinion, even at the cost of my life. That is democracy. Unfortunately, we do not want to tolerate others' views here - we want to silence them. We must move away from this mindset," he said.

Fakhrul said if Bangladesh truly wants to build a sustainable system, it must uphold democracy.