Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated in her party's election rally on Friday, "BNP is a terrorist party that has no right to engage in politics." However, during their public meeting, one person was killed in a clash between two rival factions of the party. Moreover, various factions of the rival Awami League are engaging in clashes leading up to the scheduled election on January 7. As reported in newspapers, these conflicts have resulted in casualties, arson, and vandalism. The names of accused individuals and victims involved in these incidents, all affiliated with the Awami League, have been published. Given these events, the question arises as to why the Awami League is not classified as a terrorist group despite its involvement in numerous conflicts.
In that public meeting, the Prime Minister remarked, "BNP is a terrorist group with no right to engage in politics in Bangladesh. They burn and kill people. Our politics aim for the welfare of the people, while theirs revolves around harming individuals. Do the people want them? They don't."
Where and in what incident have BNP leaders and activists been involved in burning people to death? The Prime Minister has never presented detailed evidence, investigations, or court verdicts regarding these allegations. We solely hear from her that the BNP has burnt people to death. Recently, BNP activists have been accused of causing the death of four individuals by setting fire to a train. However, almost all BNP leaders are either in jail or absconding; and the police are actively searching for them. Despite these efforts, no arrests have been made. This situation raises questions about the possibility of their involvement in any sabotage. If they are indeed connected to such acts, where is the evidence? Where are the arrests? There's a notable absence of substantiated information. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister continues to label BNP as a terrorist organisation, contrasting this characterisation with her claim that Awami League is a democratic party despite reported casualties in clashes during its public meetings.
Even though Awami League leaders and activists have admitted to being involved in numerous incidents, such as setting fire to buses, vote fraud, and beating people to death, they are not considered a terrorist group.
Analysing international research data reveals that Awami League engages in conflicts much more than BNP. While BNP is claimed to have been involved and caused damage, the data indicates that Awami League has surpassed them in these aspects.
For instance, the Conflict Research Group and Micro Governance Research Initiative CRG have released research reports detailing political violence in Bangladesh from 1991 to 2018. According to their findings, Awami League was implicated in 30.2 per cent of violent incidents during this period, resulting in injuries at 37.7 per cent and fatalities at 22.3 per cent. Conversely, BNP was linked to 25.2 per cent of the violence, causing injuries to 34.3 per cent and deaths of 15.6 per cent.
In addition, the data on violence perpetrated by student organisations from 2008 to 2018 reveals that Chhatra League was involved in 25.6 per cent of clashes in Dhaka city, while Chhatra Dal's involvement amounted to 7.4 per cent. Simultaneously, 33.3 per cent of clashes involved BCL in Dhaka, compared to Chhatra Dal's involvement in such clashes, which stood at 12.7 per cent.
The dominance of the Awami League in fostering terror extends beyond political avenues. They have also surpassed all others in terms of forced disappearances and murders committed by state forces.
According to the Center for Government Studies (CGS), the disappearance of citizens with the knowledge or involvement of state forces is not a recent phenomenon in Bangladesh. These events are categorised as 'missing' Between 1972 and 1975, during the rule of the Awami League, incidents of forced disappearances and murders of leaders and activists of opposition parties, particularly Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSAD), occurred.
The situation regarding disappearances took an alarming turn by 2010, marking a significant shift. Until then, such widespread and consistent occurrences were unprecedented. The number of forced disappearances steadily increased, expanding in scope to encompass citizens from diverse social classes and professions, making them victims of these incidents.
Based on data collected by two human rights organisations between 2009 and 2018, a trend of forced disappearances becomes apparent. According to Adhikar, 522 individuals went missing during this period. Of these, 137 were still missing, 67 bodies were later found, and 318 returned. Ain O Salish Kendra has provided data since 2013, indicating a decline in these cases. Out of a total of 387 missing persons, 235 individuals remain missing, while 49 missing persons were found deceased.
According to a CGS book edited by Ali Riaz, data provided by human rights organisations aligns with the political events occurring during that time frame. The period leading up to the national elections in both 2014 and 2018 saw a significant increase in extrajudicial killings. In 2013, the opposition called for a nationwide movement demanding the reinstatement of a caretaker government system, while Jamaat-e-Islami protested violently against the conviction of its leaders by the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) for crimes against humanity. Law enforcement agencies responded with strict suppression, resorting to indiscriminate killings and operating with immunity.
The 2014 elections were boycotted by all opposition parties, resulting in the ruling Awami League winning unopposed. The December 2018 elections witnessed the highest number of deaths, mainly due to the so-called war on drugs, contributing to unprecedented casualties at the hands of law enforcement agencies. According to Adhikar data, 358 out of 466 deaths in 2018 were officially attributed to 'gunfire/crossfire'. Notably, in the 2018 elections, the ruling party and its allies secured 288 out of 298 seats.
It's disheartening to note that significant conflict persists despite the absence of an opposition party in the arranged twelfth parliamentary election. Media reports indicate that from the commencement of election campaigning on December 18 until Sunday (December 24), over fifty conflicts surfaced across approximately forty constituencies within a span of seven days. Tragically, at least four individuals lost their lives, and over 150 sustained injuries. The conflicts predominantly involve leaders and activists affiliated with the ruling party. In many instances, activists and campaign sites of independent candidates have been targeted and attacked by sympathisers of candidates supported by the ruling party, escalating tensions and causing distress among the populace.
The United Nations, particularly the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, held Awami League accountable for the violence stemming from BNP's general meeting on October 28. During this period, ongoing violence resulted in the deaths of several individuals, including policemen, pedestrians, and opposition activists. On that day, opposition protesters reportedly targeted the residence of the Chief Justice and other judges, marking a severe escalation. Additionally, around 30 journalists were assaulted by protesters and masked individuals riding motorcycles. There's a belief that these attackers were supporters of the ruling party.