Murders, killers, state terrorism Homicide statistics of the police deapartment and published on 18 October in a major Bengali daily alarmed the people as it stated that as many as 2,941 people —- which means more than 10 persons per day —- were murdered in the country in the last nine months. Add to it the number of those who disappeared; a human rights watchdog put the figure at 17 during that period; and in every case of disappearance the victims were abducted by men who indentified themselves as law enforcement personnel. Last year 3,988 peole were murdered which suggests that the violent crime rate is on the increase. According to the Police Headquarters, in this particular period about 12000 robbery cases registered, 14301 women were oppressed and 23,145 drug cases were recorded. In Dkaka city alone over a hundred robberies occurred. But there is a big ‘but’. As is her wont, home minister Shahara Khatun has her patent statement: “law and order is much better than any time before during the past three years of her party’s rule”. Similar are the verbalisations of other incumbent cabinet members including the Prime Minister herself. People could get a little consolation if the government leaders could at least acknowledge facts. For obvious reasons police or RAB never reveal the number of deaths of arrestees in their custody; in the press releases such deaths are ascribed to the so-called “encounter” meaning shootout by arrestees and hence they are killed as law enforcement personnel who have to open fire in self-defence. Custodial deaths are also attributed to “heart failure” etcetera. Abuse of the right of legitimised violence by the authorities is a crime. Declaring war is not terrorism, nor is the use of coercion to punish criminals who have been convicted of violent crimes. In the twentieth century, authoritarian states systematically committed to using violence and extreme versions of threats against their own civilians which exemplify the premise of state terrorism. It is identical to state terrorism when the establishment relies on coercive aspects of state institutions, says Terrorism research.com. In case of governmental or “State” terror, a government terrorises people to control or repress them by making “use of official institutions such as the judiciary, police” and other government agencies. After assuming power, official Nazi policy was to deliberately destroy “state enemies” and the resulting intimidation of the rest of the population. Stalin’s policy was extra-legal use of law enforcing agencies against the population. A State can be said to be involved in terror when “government personnel carry out operations using terror tactics. Another type of these activities is unofficial actions taken by officials or functionaries of a regime (such as members of police or intelligence organizations) against their own population to repress or intimidate. While these officials will not claim such activities, and disguise their participation, it is often made clear that they are acting for the state. Keeping such activities “unofficial” permits the authorities’ deniability and avoids the necessity of changing legal and judicial processes to justify oppression.” The repressive actions of intimidation, persecution and violence against the main Opposition BNP and its political allies perpatrated today by the obdurate Awami League (AL) rulers in this country resembles state terrorism characterised by recurrent application of brutal force that killed opposition politicians and party activists. Authorities are of the view that society needs the warning and the practice of punishment, because the goal of social order cannot be achieved otherwise. Therefore the use of punishments (such as due process of law) “is of course necessary”. All said and done, there is no gainsaying that punishment for a misdeed is required as a deterrant. But in Bangladesh flagrant violation is practised. The country is devoid of the rule of law, said Prof Mizanur Rahman, the chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). “The rule of law is totally absent in the country where most people fail to get justice”, the NHRC said last year; but the situation has not improved at all. Saddeningly President of Bangladesh, Mr. Zillur Rahman, has pardoned AHM Biplob, who was convicted of kidnapping and then murdering Advocate Nurul Islam at Laxmipur town on September 18th of 2000. He was tried in absentia by a speedy trial court and was sentenced to death.