TDS Desk:

International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam today (18 January) cautioned against the use of the term “mob”, saying the word is often used with a mindset that seeks to question or undermine the legitimacy of a revolution.

Speaking at a policy dialogue titled “Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law” at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka, Tajul Islam said the term should be used carefully.

The event was organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), reports Prothom Alo.

Following his remark, several speakers strongly criticised his position, with political leaders, including former Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) General Secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz, describing the comment as a potential “threat”.

In his opening remarks, CGS Executive Director Parvez Karim Abbasi said Bangladesh was witnessing not the rule of law, but “mobocracy”. He warned that social media trials and mob justice were eroding legal safeguards.

“If so-called religious groups can take the law into their own hands and justice continues to be delayed, symbolic measures alone will not ensure the rule of law,” he said.

Speaking on the rule of law, Jatiyo Party Secretary General Shameem Haider Patwary warned that tolerating injustice before or after a revolution would inevitably backfire.

“Mobs were allowed, and now mobs are consuming the government, consuming the Election Commission. They could consume the country as well,” he said.

Responding to such remarks, Tajul Islam said acts such as street crimes or violence against religious minorities by certain groups cannot be equated with the movement that led to the fall of Ganabhaban. “The word ‘mob’ must be used with extreme caution.”

He added that repeatedly using the term to describe revolutionary achievements risks deliberately discrediting those who took part in the movement.

“If there are attempts in certain quarters to question the revolution by repeatedly using the word ‘mob’, they should exercise restraint,” he said.

Ruhin Hossain Prince criticised the position, saying, “You cannot claim to uphold the rule of law while simultaneously encouraging mobs. That cannot work in Bangladesh.”

BNP leader Nilufar Chowdhury also criticised Tajul Islam’s remarks during the discussion.

The dialogue was moderated by CGS President Zillur Rahman, who recalled that a senior government figure had previously claimed there was “no such thing as mobs, only pressure groups”. He warned that such justifications could lead to serious incidents in the future.

“We fear that if this narrative continues, similar incidents or accidents may soon follow,” he said.

The dialogue was attended by politicians, lawyers, human rights activists and representatives of civil society.

Source: Prothom Alo