Ruling party infighting kills journalist

That a personal animosity between members of the Awami League should result in the death of a journalist is outrageous. We have lost count of the number of times we have had to report on casualties of  ruling party infighting. On Thursday, supporters of Shahzadpur Municipality mayor and an AL activist clashed, which led to shots being fired. Abdul Hakim Shimul of the Daily Samakal was killed by a stray bullet. At least 10 have been wounded. The journalist's grandmother too succumbed out of shock and grief for her grandson.

The spectacle of some AL party members, squabbling violently over personal enmity and rivalry, has become the norm. Even openly brandishing firearms and shooting publicly is not new. The details of the clash make it clear that the gun was not fired in self-defense either. 

A ruling party member, that too a public representative, openly flaunting this kind of muscle reveals the degree of impunity they enjoy. The mayor is now in hiding. We wonder, were there no casualties, would the party or the police even take action against the man?

The incident worries; if members of the same party can display such hostility towards each other, what can other parties, not to mention the general public, expect from them? Intraparty violence is a symptom of the South Asian political landscape, especially in countries with one predominant party. And it is more acute in our country. The government's lacklustre reactions till now are not enough to root out the problem.

We repeat, it is the central leadership that must act. And it must act strongly, and without showing any favours. Otherwise countless innocent lives will continue to be caught in the crosshairs of intra-party violence.