Bangladesh Opposition leader Khaleda Zia is in deep trouble. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made it clear that Zia can be tried for ordering the killings in the last two weeks. According to her, it would be logical to bring her within the purview of the country’s law. Law enforcing agencies are examining the matter. They have detained 2500 suspected arsonists. Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu has said that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) attackers are killing people in the name of political programmes. There have been a nationwide blockade enforced by the BNP since January 6 and 30 people have been killed so far. Forty persons wounded have been hospitalized. The BNP with over 7,000 activists is in cahoots with the fundamentalist Jammat-e-Islami. Zia was put under house arrest till January 19.
There may be some logic behind the BNP’s militant attitude. The Bangladesh elections were held a year ago with the main Opposition party boycotting it. The Awami League had a cakewalk victory. Khaleda Zia is perhaps right in contending that the government in Dhaka is not democratically elected. She is demanding a fresh poll with an interim government in office and international observers monitoring it. She had appealed to the Modi government for support. It is good that there has been no response from New Delhi. The way the BNP is agitating cannot be defended. Besides, its alliance with the Jammat-e-Islami cannot be acceptable to India as it is not merely sectarian but also in league with anti-India terrorist outfits in Pakistan.