Mob violence raises questions over govt’s moral legitimacy: Debapriya

CPD Honorary Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya has strongly criticised what he described as the inaction of the interim government, saying recent incidents of mob violence have eroded its moral authority.

He said the interim administration should remember that while it may be legitimate, it is not an elected government. “An unelected government can govern only as long as it retains moral legitimacy. In many cases, the current government has lost that moral legitimacy through recent events,” he said.

Debapriya made the remarks at a protest meeting jointly organised by the Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) and the Editors’ Council, condemning the attacks, vandalism, looting and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, as well as the harassment of New Age editor Nurul Kabir.

The meeting, titled ‘Bangladesh Affected by Mob Violence’, was held in the capital on Monday and was chaired by Dainik Bonik Barta editor and Editors’ Council general secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud. A human chain was also formed in front of the venue following the discussion.

“None of us imagined that such a meeting would be necessary,” Debapriya said, adding that during his visits to different parts of the country over the past month and a half, the issue raised most frequently by ordinary people was the lack of security.

He said this sense of insecurity extended across society, affecting women, religious minorities, small ethnic communities, Dalits and people holding dissenting views, as well as politicians intending to contest elections. He noted that such concerns had surfaced even before the killing of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi.

Debapriya further said another issue emerging clearly from public discourse was a deep lack of trust in the government. “People have openly said they do not have confidence in the current government, the administration or the law enforcement agencies to ensure security,” he said.

He added that these warnings were voiced even before the recent violent incidents, indicating that the public had long sensed the risk of such developments.