New Age | Public order must be strengthened in border regions

Law and order in border regions remains problematic, with kidnappings, human trafficking, and other similar crimes regularly reported. At a press conference in Cox's Bazar on June 7, the families of two missing ethnic minority youths said the two men had been missing for 21 days since they went crab fishing on May 16 in the Naf River, along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. The families suspect an extremist kidnapped them for ransom. The tribal Buddhist community and Buddhist Protection Committee of Cox's Bazar who organized the press conference are concerned about their safety as criminal groups are active in Whykong and Teknaf and have demanded that law enforcement agencies take urgent measures to the safe return of Tanchangya and Young Chakmas. Teknaf police, however, say the families have not contacted them since the missing reports were filed. The inaction of the police constitutes a violation of criminal procedure because after filing a missing person report, the police concerned should investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, police rescued three teenagers from Benapole border in Jessore on June 7. Police said the teenagers were being trafficked to India by taking a huge amount of money from them and promising them jobs in India. However, the traffickers were not arrested. Other similar incidents of trafficking and kidnappings have occurred in recent months and the security of lives and property of people living in border areas is a pressing concern. In 2021, the kidnapping and eventual murder of a young Chakma girl in a remote area of ​​Teknaf was met with similar police inaction. At the time, the rights group cited the vulnerability of minority communities in border areas. Rights groups have repeatedly cited the involvement of drug syndicates and drug trafficking in kidnappings for ransom. They further alleged that law enforcement is often part of the nexus. The government has also expressed concern over the activities of different extremist groups in the border districts and that such criminal presence poses a security threat. However, the police are slow to act against them. The reported kidnapping of two ethnic minority youths in May and police inaction therefore tend to support their claims.

The government must therefore take seriously the security of lives and property of people living in border areas and combat crimes of kidnapping, trafficking and gender-based violence reported in border areas. It must also take immediate action to rescue missing minority youths believed to have been abducted by locally active criminal groups. The government must also look into allegations against police that they failed to act quickly.