The armed clash between soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles (BR) and the army in Dhaka on Wednesday is a disturbing event for several reasons. The country has just had its elected government after a two-year interregnum, and a rebellion among the security forces poses a direct threat not just to the government of the day but to democracy as such. It provides a pretext for the army to step in apparently to restore order. Bangladesh is no stranger to military rule and one more stint would be disastrous. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed has acted promptly by talking directly to the rebel paramilitary men, offering amnesty and assuring to look into their demands for better pay and service conditions. But now the mutiny is spreading, the death toll has gone up and she has warned of stern action.

The disparity in pay scales and service conditions between paramilitary forces and the army is a common feature in many countries. What is of concern is the fact that the BDR men found it necessary to resort to mutiny. In a well-established system, there must be processes which will allow for the airing of grievances and offer solutions. Those seem to have failed.

It goes to show that democracy needs an uninterrupted run for conventions and procedures to take root and for the polity to find the required resilience to face challenges without the system showing signs of a breakdown. Hasina's intervention is salutary but not sufficient. The country will have to find systemic solutions.

A sure solution is the principle that the civilian government is the ultimate ruler of the country. There are unmistakable indications that the people of Bangladesh favour civilian rule and a democratic set-up. This sentiment has to be enshrined in precept as well as in practice.

It is true that there are inimical elements at work in Bangladesh, including religious extremists who are only too eager to derail democracy, even if there is no direct complicity of such elements in this instance. Yet the country and its leaders will still have to guard themselves against such subversives. For India this disorder in yet another neighbouring country is a major cause for concern. With parts of Pakistan coming under the control of extremist elements and Sri Lanka in the grip of a civil war, this latest development in Bangladesh just when it was stabilising does not bode well.

DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication