বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ তৃতীয় পত্র
III
Purposes & Principles of District Administration.
The purposes of district administration and the major principles which underlie their application apply in rural districts in Bangladesh.
Law & Order:
The first purpose is to maintain the district in a state of Jaw & order. This is fundamental & absolutely essential. The safety of the people, their lives & properties, are dependent on it. It should receive the highest attention of the Government. The genocidal war unleashed on the people of Bangladesh by the West Pakistani military personnel has gravely endangered the law & order situation & also has seriously dislocated the law & order machinery. The law & order must be put on its proper gear. There are seven fundamental principles underlying this purpose. First, there is the principle of absolute priority: this means, quite simply, that law & order claim absolute priority attention by the district administration. All the other principles of law & order & for that matter, the other purposes of district administration must, in the final analysis, give way to this principle of absolute priority. Second there is the principle of safety for all. The right to safety & security inheres in every citizen of Bangladesh and cannot be surrendered, the only limit is the availability of the forces of law & order to maintain citizen's safety. Third, there is the principle of the rule & law. Every individual or agency of government, in exercising any authority, must demonstrably derive it from the law of Bangladesh. The maintenance of the rule of law is the main safeguard of the individual citizen against authority wrongfully used or attempted. Fourth, there is the principle of the use of force. The sanction of force must lie behind the maintenance of law & order, although the measure of good district administration is that force is rarely, if even, used. Fifth, there is the principle of the supremacy of the civil authority. The civilian supremacy over the forces is the pillar on which a democratic administration is based. The future constitution of Bangladesh must provide that the civil authority should at all times be in supreme command. Sixth, there is the principle of respect for authority, not fear of, but positive respect for, authority render law. In a district when this respect for the executive authority is missing, or diluted, there law & order will not only become difficult to maintain but will tend towards breakdown. Seventh, there is the principle of clearly established limits of tolerance which are widely known In the districts. Where people know how far they can go, they will tend to go that point and stop; if they do not know, they will probe further until they reach a point when they will be stopped. There is a need to establish as clearly as possible the limits to tolerance, & attempts to exceed that limit must be taken as a challenge to the determination & ability of the executive authority responsible for maintaining law & order in the district. There is no margin for flexibility & manoeuvre, as in politics, for law & order is not a negotiable commodity.
The departments mainly concerned are the Deputy Commissioner in his capacity as District Magistrate, the Police & the Judiciary. The administration of Jails which is under separate department, but generally under the supervision of the District Magistrate may also be included.
