Ratan Tata, the legendary industrialist of India, was very introverted. Yet, he quietly revolutionised India’s economy. In an interview, Ratan Tata was once asked, “When does a country suffer the most?” He replied, “When entrepreneurs and businessmen are obstructed, when fear is spread among them and when they withdraw from production, a country suffers the most. The nation’s dreams collapse.” Ratan Tata made this comment while criticising India’s socialist economic system.
The current situation in Bangladesh brings his words sharply to mind.
In Bangladesh, it seems there is an open game of destruction targeting the private sector. Entrepreneurs and businessmen are being shackled and then asked to swim. Fear is being spread, and there is practically a competition to shut down industries. The private sector is in utter disarray, gripped by fear of lawsuits and attacks. From large industrial groups to small entrepreneurs, no one is doing well. Everyone seems to be folding their businesses and waiting in darkness for their end.
One renowned businessman travelled abroad for business purposes in the second week of July, last year. He remained overseas when the political landscape shifted. Upon returning at the end of August, he tried to resume his business activities as usual. He has no political affiliations. Yet, every day, different groups of people started trespassing on his business premises, demanding money. Multiple groups, not just one. When he refused, they threatened him with lawsuits. Initially, he ignored them. Later, one of his factories was vandalized.
Finally, on Sunday (April 27), he learned that he had been named as an accused in a murder case filed at Mirpur Police Station, along with 408 others. Over 50 businessmen are among the accused. He doesn’t even know the plaintiff, and he hasn't visited Mirpur in the past ten years.
In the past nine months, nearly 2,000 lawsuits have been filed across the country. According to police data, about 1,500 lawsuits stem from the July movement alone. Around 100,000 individuals have been accused in these cases, with each lawsuit listing at least 100 accused. About 20,000 businessmen have been charged in these cases. Many are terrified, with some suspending their businesses out of fear. Before and after filing cases, large sums of money are being extorted from these businessmen. Those who fail to pay are subjected to various threats.
Since the political shift on August 5, the business of filing lawsuits has flourished in Bangladesh. Legal advisor Asif Nazrul had said, "Mass filing of lawsuits can never be acceptable." Sara Hossain, Executive Director of Ain o Salish Kendra, said, "These lawsuits are not only baseless and malicious, but they also won't hold up in court." Yet the bumper crop of lawsuits continues. Specific individuals are being targeted — particularly those from whom money can be extorted.
Investigations reveal that most lawsuits are filed either for personal gain or to extort money. Organized gangs are behind many of these lawsuits. The lawsuit business has now become a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Reviewing the latest case in Mirpur shows that businessmen were the primary targets — from owners of industrial groups to their employees. It's not just a murder case — it seems like an attempt to kill the economy itself.
Nearly all the cases seem to target businessmen — from large corporations to small and medium-sized enterprises. Even advertising agencies and small entrepreneurs haven't been spared.
Bangladesh's economy stands on the shoulders of the private sector. The private sector is the lifeblood of our economy, contributing 94% to the national GDP. Bangladesh’s current economic progress is largely due to the contributions of the private sector. Industrialists, businessmen, and investors have taken risks to drive economic growth, infusing it with their energy, creativity, and innovation. Yet today, these very entrepreneurs have become the prime targets. Over the past nine months, the backbone of the private sector has been broken. Now the very survival of the sector is under threat.
Of course, if a businessman commits a crime or is accused of corruption, they should be prosecuted with specific charges. But when businessmen are indiscriminately implicated in murder cases, it indicates a deliberate conspiracy. I believe there are two main objectives behind these cases:
1. Blackmail for Money: Businessmen are being called and asked for large sums of money. Several industrial groups have faced such extortion, leading many to shut down their businesses in fear.
2. A Conspiracy to Destroy Bangladesh’s Economy: By spreading fear through these lawsuits, the private sector has been devastated over the past nine months. About 500,000 workers have lost their jobs. Over 300 factories have stopped production. Around 100 factories have been looted. Yet, the government has failed to bring justice in these cases. Although the Home Advisor repeatedly said mob justice would not be tolerated, in reality, extortion is widespread, and the government seems indifferent. Many of those involved in these lawsuits have clear political affiliations and are using political influence to harass businessmen.
Was this the change that people hoped for in a "New Bangladesh"?
Recently, there was a directive to avoid indiscriminate arrests based on lawsuits. But that was nullified by a High Court order, exacerbating the atmosphere of fear. Businessmen are terrified; ordinary citizens are anxious. Different groups are spreading fear among them.
The situation has allowed some overzealous law enforcement officials to indulge in corruption, using these lawsuits to harass individuals and demand hefty bribes. This is now an open secret. Some so-called student groups are threatening factories: "Pay up, or face lawsuits."
There is no control anywhere. As a result, Bangladesh’s economy is now in a deep crisis. When someone is named in a murder case — rightly or wrongly — they lose their creative energy and motivation to run a business. A suffocating environment has been created where businessmen have folded their hands and are sitting idle. The economy is now in the ICU.
We are seeing that politicians, so-called students, and opportunistic individuals have turned lawsuits into business. This has not only devastated the economy but also created a state of instability and anarchy nationwide. When a country has hundreds of thousands of people accused of murder, how can it progress?
These lawsuits are not just damaging the economy; they are also tarnishing the July movement itself. Such baseless mass lawsuits cast doubt over the movement's legitimacy. If the rule of law exists, these ridiculous lawsuits will eventually collapse, exposing the baseless and false nature of the charges. When that happens, the memory of the sacrifices and martyrs of the July movement will be dishonoured.
This lawsuit business is a grave injustice to the families of the martyrs. Most importantly, it is eroding the trust and faith people had placed in the interim government. Citizens entrusted this government with their hopes — but how well has it lived up to that responsibility?
Strangely, many plaintiffs whose names have been used in the lawsuits don't even know they've filed cases! Is it believable that the government cannot catch and take action against this organized network? Those filing these absurd lawsuits and those accepting them are effectively declaring war against Bangladesh itself.
Through the business of lawsuits, the country is being driven towards destruction. If this madness is not stopped immediately, Bangladesh’s future will be engulfed in dark, hopeless chaos.
The writer is a researcher and development expert. He can be reached at [email protected].
Bd-pratidin English/FNC
