Debacle in Law and Order Status Threatens Electoral Ambiences

 
The total law and order situation all over Bangladesh including the law enforcement agencies have been placed in front of dire interrogative signs following the deadly attack on independent candidate Sharif Osman Bin Hadi who belongs to Inqilab Mancha and who was a significant figure during the July Uprising in 2024. Assailants shot Osman Hadi straight into his head from a pointblank range. Osman Hadi's condition is seriously critical and volatile according to physicians while this report was being written.

The general elections are going to be held in February 2026. Election schedule has been already announced officially. The drastic nosedive in law and order situation across Bangladesh has triggered widespread criticism and horror among people from all walks of life. There was no drive ahead of the election schedule declaration to recover illegal arms. Prominent citizens have deplored the Home Ministry for failing to keep law and order in good shape while upcoming polls are supposed to take place within two months. Opinions have been expressed that holding elections smoothly will be a huge challenge if rule of law cannot be constituted throughout Bangladesh without delay. Nevertheless, law and order high-ups or ministries concerned don't want to accept the hardcore reality that an absolute lawless condition has been prevailing in the country which has become too vivid through the gun attack on Osman Hadi. Law and order forces have said that they are making arrangements to ensure security for election candidates and to detain criminals and absconding terrorists though this statement has failed to convince terrified people.

Bangladesh interim government's Home Adviser Lt. General (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Saturday "We treat the attack on Osman Hadi as a vicious bid to obstruct the forthcoming elections. We are strongly determined to hold elections without impediments peacefully by dissolving all threats with iron hands."

Lt. General (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury further said that Operation Devil Hunt 2 will be launched shortly. It may be added that Operation Devil Hunt 1 was kicked off at the beginning of 2025 but no remarkable progress with law and order was seen. Lt. General (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury blamed the agents of the overthrown fascists for trying to spoil peace and stability in Bangladesh.

Eminent civil society member Badiul Alam Majumder said "Brandishing guns, terrorizing voters, threats and intimidation happened in the past during the ousted Awami League government and even during the reign of other ruling parties too. The same sort of evil ploys are being applied right now ahead of elections. Holding elections in a sound and uninterrupted way will be a highly difficult job if the government cannot crack down hard on lawbreakers. Failure to restrain crimes will drive Bangladesh towards fearsome disasters."

The gun attack on Osman Hadi took place on 11 December 2025. Entire Bangladesh has been since then restless with protests. This mass outrage will run out of hands if the attackers cannot be arrested rapidly.

Leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat and National Citizens Party (NCP) had a meeting with the Chief Adviser on Saturday and called upon Dr. Muhammad Yunus to issue stern orders to law and order forces to get hold of perpetrators and troublemakers right now. Even the Election Commission (EC) itself is worried about its own safety. Election Commission has meanwhile sent a letter to Police Headquarters with a request for strengthening security arrangements around senior EC officials, electoral offices and candidates all over Bangladesh.

Unrestrained mob gangsters, rise of fanatical outfits and political retaliations have heavily worsened law and order plight across Bangladesh since August 2024. Even religious spots, minorities and shrines were attacked and vandalized. In a few cases dead bodies were pulled out of graves, beaten up and set on fire in most brutal ways. Reportedly law and order forces were present on the spots during most of these atrocities but kept quiet and inactive.

Human rights activist Noor Khan Liton told reporters "There is no way to keep silent about the deteriorating law and order situation. Nobody knows who are holding the gun licenses which were issued during former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling period from 2009 to 2024".

Devastated law and order status has hammered the country's economy too with foreign and local investments declining terribly. Hundreds of factories including readymade garments industries have been shut down in Dhaka, Chittagong, Gazipur, Tongi, Ashulia and Savar. Millions of workers have become jobless during last 15 months. Furious employees who have lost their jobs are demonstrating in turbulent ways every week.

It glared up through news headlines a few days ago that more than 3,200 people were murdered across Bangladesh during last eleven months. Gang rape, robbery, mugging and mob violence occurred over and over again but actions against the real culprits were very much insignificant. Rather fictitious police cases were filed in huge numbers to endanger political opponents and to extract personal vengeance. Allegedly most of the police stations have once again become black spots for bribery and detention business.

Under these circumstances, election candidates will definitely find it troublesome to run polls campaigns and publicities before general elections if all out situation cannot be improved very quickly. Reliable sources have told media outlets that intelligence divisions have been instructed by the Home Ministry to carry out sharp surveillance in all parts of Bangladesh. Police Headquarters have stated that fortified and enhanced steps will be implemented to arrest miscreants while keeping in view the human rights principles.

Criminal psychologist Dr. Touhidul Haque said "The Home Ministry should have been more cautious before the election schedule was declared. Delayed actions have caused hindrances to a proper electoral environment. Law and order forces must act faster without fears or favours to regain people's confidence and to build up the right atmosphere for elections".