With the holy Eid-ul-Fitr approaching, a deeply alarming situation of disorder has emerged across the country. On one hand, there are rampant allegations of reckless looting and theft of relief rice by local leaders of the opposition BNP. On the other, a severe decline in law and order has led to ordinary people losing their lives even in the capital. From depriving the poor of their rightful aid to deadly street snatchings, the joy of Eid has been overshadowed by grief.
In the capital’s Uttara House Building area, a 21-year-old housewife named Mukta Akter was killed on Thursday morning after falling from an auto-rickshaw during a snatching incident. Mukta, who had gone out for Eid shopping, met a tragic end that shattered her family.
Her husband, Limon Hossain, said that after returning home from a tailor shop in the morning, Mukta went out again for some small purchases. Near the Uttara metro rail station, snatchers in a speeding private car grabbed her bag, causing her to be thrown onto the road from the moving rickshaw. Critically injured in the head, she was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared her dead at around 1:45 pm. Mukta, who had dreamed of visiting her parents’ home the day after Eid, now lies lifeless in the hospital morgue.
Amid this deteriorating law and order situation, reports of large-scale looting of relief rice by BNP leaders are emerging from rural areas. In Sapmara Union of Gobindaganj upazila in Gaibandha, acting chairman Abu Taleb Mondol faced intimidation from local BNP leader Sarowar Hossain Chowdhury while distributing VGF rice.
It is alleged that even after receiving their allocated quota, Sarowar Hossain forcibly seized several hundred additional distribution slips. When the chairman and members protested, they were detained and threatened with death. Helpless, the chairman broke down in tears in public. In a video circulating on social media, he is heard saying, “BNP has taken everything by force. I couldn’t protect the rights of the poor.”
A similar situation has been reported in Atulia Union of Shyamnagar upazila in Satkhira. Instead of the allocated 10 kg of rice, vulnerable people are receiving only 4.5 to 5 kg. Locals allege that the entire distribution process is being controlled by representatives of BNP and Jamaat. Digital scales have reportedly been replaced with buckets to under-measure rice and embezzle the rest. The absence of the designated tag officer at the site has made such irregularities easier.
Meanwhile, during this year’s Eid travel period, passengers have reportedly been overcharged by around 1.48 billion taka in extra fares. According to the Passenger Welfare Association, the lack of oversight and the chaos among transport operators have broken a 20-year record for fare exploitation. Critics have also pointed out a stark disconnect between the statements of Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam and the reality on the ground.
In a statement signed by the association’s Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury on Wednesday, it was revealed that 87% of buses and minibuses charged excessive fares this Eid.
Analysts observing the current situation say that, on one side, relief theft under political patronage and, on the other, brazen daylight snatching incidents in the city have pushed public safety into a severe crisis. The aggressive behavior of BNP’s grassroots leaders and the collapse of public security indicate that the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people are now facing deep uncertainty.
