Law and Order Maintenance
system and Countering
Terrorism in Bangladesh
Abdus Sobhan Sikder
Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration
Government of Bangladesh
Civil Service College, Monday, 12 December 2011
Outline
• Law and Order
• Role of Law enforcement agencies
• Criminal justice system of the
country
• Terrorism in Bangladesh and
countering terrorism
• Difficulties encountered while taking
measure
Law and Order
• law and order refers to a political platform which
supports a strict criminal justice system, especially
in relation to violence and property crime, through
harsher criminal penalties. These penalties may
include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory
sentencing, and in some countries, capital
punishment.
• Supporters of "law and order" argue that effective
deterrence combined with incarceration is the most
effective means of crime prevention. Opponents of
law and order argue that a system of harsh criminal
punishment is ultimately ineffective because it does
not address underlying or systemic causes of crime.
Law enforcement agencies
Police (RAB, APBn, Railway Range, Metropolitan
Police, Highway Police, Industrial Police)
VISION
To provide service to all citizens and make Bangladesh a better and safer place to live and
work.
MISSION
•
•
•
•
To uphold the rule of law.
To ensure safety and security of citizens
To prevent and detect crime
To bring offenders to justice
To maintain peace and public order
Forces in aid to Civil Power
•
•
•
•
Ansar & Village Defence Party (VDP)
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
Coast Guard
Bangladesh Army (under Sec. 128-131)
Criminal Justice System
Constitution of Bangladesh
Supreme Court – a. 94
Appellate division
High Court Division
Subordinate courts – a. 114
Civil courts
Courts constituted under Cr.P.C
Criminal courts
Courts/tribunals established
by other laws
Criminal Judiciary
Courts constituted
under Cr.P.C.
• Court of SJ, Addl
SJ, Jt SJ
• Court of Chief
Metropolitan
Magistrate- CMM,
ACMM, MM
• Court of Chief
Judicial MagistrateCJM, ACJM, 1st, 2nd,
3rd class magistrates
• Executive
Magistrates
District Magistrate
Executive
Magistrates
Preventive
cases, Law
and order,
Mobile court,
unlawful
assembly
Sec : 107-110,
127-31, 133,
144, 145
Courts/Tribunals
established under other
laws
• Special Power Act 1974
• Anti corruption
commission
• Women & Children
Prevention of Repression
• Criminal Law Amendment
• Juvenile Court Act
• Rapid Trial courts etc.
Trial procedure
Offence
Complaint Register (CR)
Magistrate’s court
General Register (GR)
Police cases
• Judicial Inquiry
• Investigation
• Inquiry (Chr, official)
• Final Report
• Dismiss
• Charge sheet
Cognizance
Investigation
Information
GD
----------
FIR
Investigation
Post Mortem Spot
Viscera Map
Dissenter Witness
Expert Arrest
opinion
Seizure
DNA
TIP
Dying decl.
CS
Report
FR
Trial
CS accepted by the court
Cognizance
Summon
WP&A
Appearance of the accused
Ready for trial - transfer to
appropriate trial court
Discharge-243
Charge hearing
Newspaper Ad
Absentia (339-b)
Frame charge-241
Prosecution – 244, 260
Examination of accused-342
Defense witness – if any
Argument
Judgment
Terrorism
Essence of the activity - violence
Aim of the activity – to attain Political,
Ideological or Religious objects.
The target of terrorism – innocent
Terrorist Motives
•
•
•
•
Damage Infrastructure
Disrupt Normal Life
Direct Killing of Enemy
Undermine Confidence
In Government
TERRORISM IN REALITY
TERRORISM - REGIONAL
PERSPECTIVE
Causes of Terrorism in this Region
•
•
•
•
•
Social prejudice, structural deficiency
Ethno-religious dissatisfaction
Intolerance, internecine conflict
Ideological diversities
Political and economic discrimination
Major terrorist organizations seen to be
operative in Bangladesh in the past
• Religious extremist: The principal current terrorist threat
is from radicalized individuals/groups that are using a
distorted version of Islam to justify violence. This
radicalization is fed by the global Islamist agenda. Major
identified groups are JMB, Huji-B, Islamic Democratic
Party, Jadid-Al-Quaeda, Hijbut Tahrir Bangladesh,
Shahadat-E- Al- Hikma, Tamira-Ad-Din , Allahar Dal etc.
Left-wing extremist: In order to challenge the local
authorities and the private sector, attacks against the
Government and state institutions and officials have
previously been carried out by so-called leftist
organizations. Major identified groups include Purbo
Bangla Communist Party (ML-Lal pataka), Purbo Bangla
Communist Party (ML-Janjjudha), Bangladesh Biplobli
Communist Party (Different factions) etc.
Insurgency-backed terrorism: Ethnic terrorism in
Bangladesh is rooted in the quest of indigenous minorities
to protect their lands from encroachment and to safeguard
their own ethnic identity. However, after the signing of the
Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord in 1997 between the
Government and PCJSS, the magnitude of ethnic
terrorism has been substantially reduced. Groups involved
are PCJSS, UPDF.
Criminalized political terrorism/Domestic politicsbased terrorism: In Bangladesh, the secondary level
threat stems largely from the unhealthy competition to
retain power at any cost. In the competition for political
support, the costs and repercussions of terrorism have
often been ignored by the mainstream parties.
• Socio-criminal terrorism: It includes the criminal
activities of murder, abduction, extortion etc committed by
an organized group of criminals under a ring leader
driven by greed, temptation and rapacity. These are done
with a view to extorting money from businessman and
rich persons, making a network for collection of toll,
dominating drugs or arms trafficking business, controlling
big construction works and tender business and
maintaining supremacy and dominance over a large
particular area.
Some incidents occurred are
• Bomb blast on cultural programme of Udichi Shilpoghosti at
Townhall Moidan, Jessore on March 6, 1999
• Bomb blast on Grand assembly of CPB at Poltan Moidan on
January 20, 2001
• Bomb blast on Chayanot Pahela Baishhakh Festival at Ramnal
Batmul on April 14, 2001
• Grenade Attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdury
in Sylhet on May 21, 2004
• Grenade Attack on the meeting of AL at Banghabondu Avenue
on August 21, 2004
• Series Bomb Blast in 63 districts by JMB on August 17, 2005
• Killing of two Judges by throwing bomb on their vehicle on
November 15 , 2005 in Jhalokathi
• Suicidal bomb explosion in the Court premise of Gazipur and
Chittagong on November 30, 2005
Muslim majority but blessed with exemplary
religious communal harmony in the region .
Secular by constitution. Socio-Political environment
is based on deep rooted traditions and culture, not
on religious sentiments .
People are peace loving with numerous
ethno-religious diversity .
Response to Terrorism in
Bangladesh
Response into four areas




Terrorism,
Terrorists and their sponsors,
Public and
Consequences of a terrorist strike.
Strategies in use in the UN & other countries and,
where there is similarity
• Bangladesh complies with the provisions of
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373
(2001)
• Ratified
international
counter-terrorism
instruments (all of the 13 international
instruments related to counter-terrorism).
• Recent agreements with India
• A comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy
incorporating all the provisions at par
international standard to combat terrorism.
Elements of ‘evil power’ were dealt with severely
Efforts taken by Bangladesh
EFFORTS TAKEN BY
BANGLADESH
ANTI -TERRORISM COMMITMENT OF THE
GOVERNMENT
EFFORTS TAKEN BY BANGLADESH
MONITORING NGO’S ACTIVITIES
DE – RADICALIZATION
PROGRAMME IN BANGLADESH
OBJECTIVE OF DERADICALIZATION
 Identify orthodox minded people and
motivate them towards the actual sprit of
Islam
 Recruit potential agent to infiltrate the
extremist groups/ institution
 Collect information on Islamic issues,
documentation of information and finally
dissemination
Recent Successes in
Bangladesh
Crackdown on JMB: All key activists
arrested and sent for trail.
Recent actions and Successes
 Government banned five extremist groups and
ordered drives against all militant groups
 Shadat-E-Hikma Party Bangladesh
 Jama’tul-Mujahedin Banglades (JMB)
 Jagroto Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB)
 Harkatul Jihad Al-Islami (HUJI)
 Hijbut Tahrir
 Most outlawed terrorists have been
arrested and sent for trail.
 Awareness of mass people turned into real
action
ACHIEVEMENTS
• Successfully reached the target group which
are relatively younger.

Mobilized public opinion against terrorism and
militancy

Creating social awareness against extremism
 So far we have interacted with huge number of
Imams, madrasa students and religious persons. They
are now acting as our representative in the society to
spread true sprit of Islam and thereby increasing the
number of beneficiaries everyday
Strategic steps taken
 Strengthening Legal and Judicial Infrastructure by
ensuring judicial separation .
 Political, Economic and Social Development.
 Synchronization, Coordination & alignment of
activities among all the Law Enforcement Agencies,
law and order & intelligence agencies
 Intelligence sharing with Foreign Governments.
 Promulgation of Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Money
Laundering Laws and their Enforcement.
 Social Mobilization/Awareness,
 Crafting Value- based progressive Education
curricula.
Implementation Framework for Counter
Terrorism Strategy of Bangladesh
• Terrorism is not the problem of a
single country and there is a pressing
need for joint counter-terrorism
efforts both at the regional and the
global level.
• High level “ownership” of the strategy
is essential for the successful
implementation.
CONCLUSION
Bangladesh has experienced a vibrant and
visible success by substantially curbing Islamist
extremist
groups
which
deserves
commendation.
Bangladesh government, however, happens to
continue vigorous search for alleged Extremists
and terrorists, though there is little
corresponding evidence of a proportionately
violent terrorist movement in the country at
the moment.
Thanks
a lot