Women denigrated

Shanta, a 3-month pregnant housewife was mercilessly beaten up by the police during the 14-party political programme on 12 March in Dhanmondi. She was on her way home after leaving her child at school but unfortunately got caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. Seeing the commotion ahead on the road she had taken shelter inside a local clinic but some women police personnel dragged her out of the clinic and began to beat her persistently in front of their superior officers. Her repeated plea for mercy on account of her being pregnant fell on deaf ears but the worse was yet to come. Her physical and mental anguish doubled when a senior police officer took her to a corner and made her sign on a blank paper. Now, how can a police officer do that remains a puzzling question that the police big brass will have to answer one day. It is beyond our comprehension why law enforcers display such frenzy when it comes to handling opposition-led political programmes.

We also watched in disbelief as some female activists of the Jatyabadi Chhatra Dal pulverized the general students of Eden College a day before the Shanta affair. These JCD activists have been accused of doing unlawful things concerning admission and allotment of residential seats by the general students. When the agitation against the cadres reached it peak and the hall authorities failed to quell the anger of the common students, the ugly incident took place right on the road in front of the college which we editorialised yesterday but are having to refer to again in utter disgust. It was another show of arrogant disregard for modesty and civility by a section of students who are in reality marauding cadres prowling the campus looking for a kill.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

The overall pattern is unmistakable. A new phenomenon of stopping short at nothing to suppress dissent, what if it involves a blatant perpetration of women's denigration, has dreadfully set in.

We, therefore, feel strongly that an independent probe needs to be ordered by the government immediately with assurances made publicly that the perpetrators of the series of ugly incidents will be brought before the court of law.