Marked by the advent of special police forces christened Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Cheetah and Cobra, and their criminal killing spree that also caused death to quite a few innocent people, the year saw some brutal murders and bomb and grenade attacks.

The government's indifference to formation of a human rights commission continued in 2004 too, as it ordered arrests and detention of people in hundreds and thousands before the oppositions' anti-government programmes.

Law enforcers failed to arrest Bangla Bhai, the self-proclaimed operations leader of Islamist militant outfit Jagrata Muslim Janata, Bangladesh (JMJB) that unleashed a reign of terror in the northern region, coinciding with some frightful doings by outlawed communist groups.

The annual report of human rights watchdog Odhikar said the country witnessed a serious deterioration in law and order in 2004, with 522 people killed, 6,222 injured, 2,914 arrested and 28 abducted in incidents of human rights violation related to politics.

CROSSFIRE STEPS IN
Desperate to contain the crime waves, the government introduced well-trained crime-busting forces of Rab, Cheetah and Cobra alongside police but could hardly succeed in checking the law and order slide.

Their actions added a new semantic dimension to the word 'crossfire' -- an excuse to kill. Approximately 147 people, mostly criminals, died in crossfire across the country since June. The same old story of the victims' being caught and killed in crossfire during operations to recover illegal firearms at deserted places, mostly in the small hours, has turned into a cliché.

Crossfire killed top underworld kingpins like Pichchi Hannan, Killer Bhutto, Molla Shamim, Golakata Mojibar and Tokai Mizan of Dhaka, David of Narayanganj, Jane Alam, Ahmudya and Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury of Chittagong, and outlawed partisan BDR Altaf and Asaduzzaman Litu, the prime accused of journalist Shamsur Rahman killing in Khulna.

On the other hand, five-year-old girl Mayesha in Dhaka, Sumon Ahmed Majumder, a witness in the murder case of Awami League lawmaker Ahsanullah Master, in Tongi and four others at Gutia village in Gazipur also fell victim to the elite forces operations.

But the government remained impassive to the protests of rights organisations within and outside the country against the extra-judicial killings, the magnitude of which has peaked most recently. The government is yet to launch any probe into the deaths and punish the people responsible.

GRENADE AND BOMB BLASTS
Grenade attack entered the already long list of violence in a country dogged by unbridled crime with the deadly carnage at an Awami League rally in the capital on August 21 killing 23 people including senior AL leader Ivy Rahman and maiming hundreds.

The northeastern city of Sylhet turned into a killing field as assassins bombed five people dead at Hazrat Shahjalal Shrine on January 12. A grenade attack at the same place on May 21 killed three people and injured British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury.

Twin near-simultaneous bomb explosions in as many cinemas killed a street urchin on August 5, two days before a car bomb killed AL leader Mohammad Ibrahim on August 7, while another blast on September 5 killed two others in the divisional city.

An arson attack on a double-decker bus at Shahbagh in the capital killed 10 people on June 4, while AL lawmaker Ahsanullah Master was assassinated at a public meeting on May 7 in Tongi.

The scenario looks bleaker, as the investigators could find no clue to the frequent bomb and grenade attacks and the perpetrators remain free to roam the streets.

ATTACKS ON PRESS
Khulna-based eminent journalist Manik Saha was bombed to death on January 15. Khulna Press Club President and Daily Janmabhumi Editor Humayun Kabir Balu died in a similar attack on June 27.

Noted writer Humayun Azad came under a deadly attack in the capital on February 27.

Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a human rights and legal aid organisation, in a report said 68 journalists were either attacked or faced repression and harassment by members of the ruling coalition and criminals in 2004. Besides, 263 journalists received death threats and cases were lodged against 63 newsmen during the year.

EXTREMISTS' MOVES
While the Islamist militant outfit JMJB killed several people and abducted many others in the northern region, particularly in Naogaon, Rajshahi and Natore districts, top government officials kept on denying the existence of its leader Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai.

The government's so-called elite forces were found surprisingly inactive when it came to bringing Bangla Bhai to justice, despite a prime ministerial directive for his arrest.

Islamist extremists who redoubled their anti-Ahmadiyya move in November 2003 forced the government to ban Ahmadiyya publications on January 8, carried out hate campaign against them across the country, attacked their places of worships and houses, and excommunicated the community members.

Following the deaths of a number of their leaders and activists in an anti-outlaw operation dubbed Spider Web and later in operations of Rab, BDR and police, underground communist parties tried to unite and re-organise during the end of the year. But Rab killed their top political think-tank and founder of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-ML) Mofakkhar Hossain alias Mahamud Hasan in crossfire in Kushtia on December 17

POLITICAL REPRESSION
The year also saw an increasing repression of opposition activists. The government launched a crackdown on opposition adherents prior to the AL's April 30 oust-government deadline and again in September arresting thousands of people including apolitical and innocent ones.

The arrests and detention of thousands of opposition activists and common people without any specific charge generated severe criticism at home and abroad.

The leaders and activists of Badruddoza Chowdhury's newly launched political party Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh also came under government repression since its launching. Several times they were denied the opportunity to hold their political programmes.

Apart from attacks in the capital on Badruddoza, he and Dr Kamal Hossain came under attacks in Rangpur and Mymensingh.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
The ruling alliance has failed to keep its electoral pledge to form a national human rights commission in over three years of its rule.

Recently Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said the government had failed to form the commission due to non-co-operation from some ministers.

Coming to office, the alliance formed a cabinet committee led by the law minister on December 10, 2001 to draft a bill of a national human rights commission. The draft bill, prepared about two years ago, has since been gathering dust.

ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION
While Transparency International in October rated Bangladesh as the most corrupt state for the fourth straight year, the government formed the long-awaited Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), another of its electoral pledges, on November 21. But the commission's integrity was questioned during its formation, as many alleged political consideration in selection of the commission chairman and members.

Immediately after its formation, the commission stumbled on the government's imposition of a secretary ignoring the ACC's selection for the post.

Some bureaucrats have been learnt to be moving to ensure the government's grip on the commission sparking off apprehensions that the very independence of the ACC may be at stake.

SEPARATION OF JUDICIARY
The government for the 20th time on November 9 sought time for separation of the judiciary from the executive. Although the Supreme Court turned down the plea, the separation process underwent further delay due to court proceedings against nine government officials for distorting and misinterpreting a court order regarding the separation.

POLICE BOSS PUNISHED
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on December 7 upheld a High Court verdict that had slapped Tk 2,000 fine on Inspector General of Police Shahudul Haque or one-month imprisonment for contempt of court.

Shahudul, who faced the proceedings for his remarks in a written reply to certain queries of the court in a suo moto rule after three traffic policemen had misbehaved with a sitting High Court judge at Farmgate in the capital, was removed from his office on December 13.