The dastardly attack on Wahida Khanam, UNO of Ghoraghat upazila of Dinajpur, has brought to the fore the dangerous working environment that state functionaries at the ground level often find themselves in, especially when they abide by the rules. While their work should be supported by people irrespective of party affiliation, most of all by the ruling party members at the local level since it is the government policies undertaken in public interest that these officials are implementing, we find just the opposite.
It is no secret that local administration is often under pressure to entertain undue requests and even face intimidation to accede to demands in violation of rules and norms. Resisting such pressures incur the fate that befell Wahida Khanam. She is not even the first UNO in Dinajpur to have suffered at the hands of ruling party cadres for standing her ground. In October 2014, the Nawabganj UNO met the same fate for refusing to concede to undue demands. Five of the 13 UNOs in the district have reportedly expressed fear for their safety. This is entirely unwarranted and unacceptable. Ghoraghat is fairly representative of the situation in most parts of the country, regrettably.
The prevailing situation is a consequence of the criminalisation of politics, and the unbridled profligacy of the ruling party cadres at the district and upazila levels. A sense of immunity has helped in their ever-increasing recklessness. And the police, by their lack of proactive action, worsen the situation. In some cases, their apparent helplessness is stunning, which perhaps has to do with some police officials preferring to demonstrate their fealty more towards local politicians than to the public.
The leaders at the top are often heard announcing that criminal elements in the party would be purged, but nothing happens. The assurance of the ruling party general secretary that if any party member is faced with a charge-sheet, he or she will be expelled from the organisation, sounds hollow, since at the end of the day very few are.
It is imponderable that officials should have to risk their lives for going by the book, enforcing policies and ensuring law and order. This calls for a serious rethink by the ruling party leadership about the unlawful activities of party affiliates, whose unwarranted influence pervades all walks of life.
