Home Adviser sets (another) dangerous precedent: Assaulted for smoking or for smoking as a woman?

If we are to take stock of the long list of our Home Affairs Adviser's disproportionate — or lack of — response to current affairs, his most recent one certainly takes the cake. 

Two young female smokers being berated, surrounded and physically assaulted by a group of men in the capital did not result in condemnation, rather an explanation from the Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury the following day (2 March). 

Chowdhury, of course, is not the only actor at fault here, lest we forget the actual act of violence perpetrated against the women. Ergo, the issue at hand is two-fold: The egregious attack on the women, which was followed by an extremely concerning response from the home adviser. 

In a country which indulges in moral policing women at all times, what does this latest incident foretell? Experts weigh in. 

Setting a dangerous precedent 

The Home Adviser's response to the Lalmatia incident raises two red flags. 

"As you know, smoking in public is prohibited for both men and women. It's a crime, and everyone should adhere to it," the adviser said on Sunday. 

"During Ramadan, everyone needs to practice restraint. Our religious adviser has urged all not to eat in public. It's a matter of showing respect to those who are fasting," he added.

But the incident occurred on Saturday evening, before this year's Ramadan had commenced in Bangladesh. This might seem like a coy attempt to cower behind "religious sentiments", but it still exposes the adviser's failure or lack of will to muster an appropriate response. 

And even if it were Ramadan, what had transpired through mob violence against the two young women would still be wrong (and certainly illegal) and believed to be so by the majority in a civil society. 

Then, perhaps, we should also be asking, do we function as a civil society? 

"Both men and women support misogyny," said Shahana Huda Ranjana, a communications specialist, referring to an earlier study conducted by Dnet and Manusher Jonno Foundation related to misogyny and moral policing of women. 

Ranjana also pointed to how these incidents of moral policing evoke "gratification that sexual harassment would", and all of this stems from the disturbing psyche of the society. If the adviser does not condemn these acts, it will continue, she added. 

Then, there's the question of smoking in a "public space". The advisor explained in his response how both women and men are prohibited from smoking in public. 

The law in question is the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act of 2005 (amended in 2013), which mentions buildings (such as government office premises, educational institutions, lifts, etc), transportation and streets. 

"Now one can argue that the women were smoking on the street and thus committing an offence. But if you look closely at the law, it is understood that it speaks of public space (such as a bus stop), which will risk secondhand smoke. But my understanding is that the women were smoking in an open space," said Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua. "This does not break any said law." 

He added, "It's very clear that the issue is not about 'smoking in public' but that it was done by women. Additionally, the man who was offended could have called the police and asked them to address this. He did not do any such thing." 

Police were eventually called in. 

"We called 999. After that, the police arrived. Even in the presence of the police, they could not be subdued. In the face of a mob attack, the police took us to Mohammadpur Police Station in their custody," one of the friends of the victims said in a Facebook post detailing the incident. 

"The women had to be rescued by the police. What surprises me is how the attackers have not been arrested and put in jail," Barua added. 

Physical violence is a criminal offence, he said.

"Even without realising it, the adviser is [condoning] moral policing," said Barrister Barua. 

This brings us to the biggest red flag in the adviser's response. He did not condemn the attack. This not only perpetuates victim blaming and condones physical violence against women but emboldens the perpetrators of mob violence. 

At a time, when cases of rape, mugging and sexual harassment are seeing an uptick, when women feel more vulnerable regardless how many times the Chief Adviser and the interim government say otherwise — this sort of statement from the adviser adds more fuel to the fire. 

"We dreamed of a new Bangladesh, one free of discrimination," said Dr Soma Dey, an associate professor at the Department of Women and Gender Studies, University of Dhaka. "However, doubts and concerns are rising. 

"This [incident] made me curious to know how many men had been reprimanded for smoking in public. When was this [public smoking law] ever followed? You see it all around, from hospital premises to campuses, etc." 

Beyond Lalmatia: Not an isolated case of moral policing

In the past few years, more and more cases of moral policing of women have been coming to the fore. There had also been a spate of incidents where women were told what to wear. 

"It didn't happen overnight," said Ranjana, "There has been a series of similar examples." 

Dr Soma Dey and Ranjana both said that these are not isolated incidents, rather a growing trend where the public feels emboldened to comment, shame and in some cases physically assault women over what they wear or are doing. 

To cite a few examples which garnered media attention, one incident in Cox's Bazar in September 2024 saw a man verbally and physically assault women perceived to be acting 'immorally' by his standards, particularly for their attire. Others joined in and watched the moral circus. 

The Narsingdi Railway Station incident in 2022 saw a young woman and her two male companions being harassed at the station over what she was wearing. 

Then there is the case of Dr Lata, a teacher of Tejgaon College, who was verbally abused by constable Nazmul Tareq for wearing a teep in 2022. 

Of course, it will take time to effectively alter patriarchal, outdated and violent perceptions and keep women safe in public spaces across Bangladesh. But public condemnation from the authorities and immediate action to reprimand the perpetrators would serve as a step forward, as opposed to a regressive response that will likely encourage more such attacks in the future.