Mayhem at the hills

This country has not been unfamiliar with poll-related violence, even consequent loss of lives. But what happened in the Noi Mile area on Baghaichhari-Dighinala road on Monday evening was senseless beyond belief. As many as seven persons, six of them on upazila election duty, were killed. Armed factions of different groups in the country's hill districts have had scores to settle against one another. So tragedy befalls followers of such outfits from time to time. Sometimes members of opponent groups are kidnapped. Such hostility is mostly confined to hill people but this time the attack has been carried out against people performing poll-duty. But why? Those who are assigned to poll-duty represent an institution independent of the government. An attack on such people is in effect an attack on an institution. The motive behind such an attack is condemnable.  While expressing heartfelt condolences for the victims and sympathies for their bereaved families, a new dimension to poll violence is flagged off  for the authorities to be prepared adequately for any untoward incident in vulnerable areas.

Here was a local government election not so much political as that of the members of parliament. If some political outfits in the hill district have an agenda of opposing the local government election, why must they go violent with it? But it seems those who carried out the attack have scant respect for democratic values. They talk in the language of violence; what they fail to realise is that their acts amount to subversion of a political system. If the upazila election had any imperfection it could be articulated in a civilised way.

The death of an assistant presiding officer and four members of the village defence party (VDP) points to the fact that the security issue in the sensitive hilly areas was taken casually and lightly. Why did no armed guards accompany the vehicle carrying the ballot boxes is hardly understandable. In areas like Baghaichhari and Dighinala, there is a perceived threat from armed groups. If internecine feuds prompt them to take life of each other, a certain  risk to the functionaries on election duty should not have been ruled out. That the gangs did not attack polling stations is no guarantee they will spare those involved with polling when the latter are vulnerable. 

This attack has taken lives of seven innocent people. The VDP members are poor mortals who eke out a living from whatever pittance they draw in exchange for their service. By killing them the perpetrators achieved nothing. They have only plunged the families of those killed in grief and misery. Insanity led a white radical to kill men in prayer at Christchurch, New Zealand. Here, a different kind of diabolical mindset driven by hatred and violence has done to death seven people and wounded 10 others. Violence leads humanity nowhere but to an abysmal chasm.