It has come to immolation!

What was the fault of poor Amir Hossain? Or, for that matter, anyone who ventures on to the street to earn his livelihood? First of all, Amir Hossain brought his three wheeler out on pure economic compulsion. He has a family to keep, two school going daughters to look after; and if he hadn't gone out looking for passengers, he would have lost out on a day's earning which like many other people he simply couldn't afford. Secondly, hartal, as we have explained before, is an imposition and, if any one who decides not to participate in it gets immolated then surely democratic norms have sunk a new depth. As it is, there is a fear psychosis to the hartal phenomenon; and, if those who dare come out for as justified a reason as making their livelihood become victims of such brutal act of violence, the fear is bound to grow manifold, let alone encouraging others to terrorise people the same way.

Why just on Saturday, similar attacks on those who live on daily wages had taken place in the past as well. We have no hesitation in saying that these were criminal offences of the highest order. Such acts of brutality underscore the menace that hartals could turn into. We have seen picketers torch public buses, throw stones at cabs and rickshaws carrying passengers. This is dangerously aberrant and must by all means be stopped by the callers and organisers of hartal.

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