Rise in child killings

Incidents of killing, torture and abuse of children are on the rise across the country with brutalities against kids reaching a whole new level.

Though there has been a huge public outcry following a series of gruesome murders of children recently, kids mostly belonging to the poor section of society are being targeted, tortured and killed.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

According to experts, children become easy prey for criminals who want to get ransoms or have other malicious intentions.

They say some of the major reasons behind the recurrence of such crimes include improper handling of lawsuits relating to violence against kids and delay in disposal of such cases.

A total of 37 children were killed from January to mid-February this year, according to Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum, a platform of child rights bodies.

At least 292 children were murdered across the country last year. The number was 366 in 2014, it said.

Yesterday, a schoolboy was beaten mercilessly as he went to a house to retrieve a cricket ball at Purba Thanapara in Lalmonirhat town.

Besides, a 12-year-old boy was tortured allegedly by an Awami League leader and his men for "stealing a mobile phone" in Patgudam bus stop area of Mymensingh on Wednesday.

On Friday, Zahid, a class-X student at Bagsara High School, and Emon, an orphan, were tortured by a group of people, including a soldier and a Rab member, at Chowbaria village of Rajshahi on suspicion of stealing a mobile phone.

Last year, the country saw a number of incidents of mindless brutality against children.

On July 8, 13-year-old Samiul Alam Rajon was beaten to death by a group of men in Sylhet for allegedly trying to steal a rickshaw van. The incident was filmed and video footage was posted on social media.

On August 13, Rakib, 13, was tortured to death by his former employer in Khulna just because the boy had quit the job and started working elsewhere for better pay.

The gruesome murders of Rajon and Rakib, which shocked the entire nation, triggered a public outcry, resulting in a quick disposal of the cases over the murders. Six men were sentenced to death for killing the two boys.

Talking to this correspondent, Md Ziaur Rahman, chairman of criminology department at Dhaka University, said the incidents of child repression have been taking place for a long time. The major reasons behind this are “the culture of impunity” and “twisted mentality of a section of people”.

He said law enforcers should equip themselves with new technology and create a special cell to deal with cases involving children.

LALMONIRHAT INCIDENT

Eleven-year-old Kamrul Alam Kabya, a class-VI student of Lalmonirhat Government Boys' High School, was playing cricket with his friends in an open space at Purba Thanapara yesterday morning.

At one stage, the cricket ball flew into the compound of a nearby house. As Kabya went to the house to retrieve the ball, the house owner, Sohag Mia, got furious, said Mahfuzur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station.

Sohag grabbed the boy, tied his hands with a rope and beat him up, said the police officer.

The boy was later admitted to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital.

Police arrested Sohag after Kabya's father Sajid Alam lodged a case yesterday afternoon.

Sohag, however, denied torturing the boy. He told police that he had only scolded Kabya and other children.

Azmal Haque, resident medical officer at the hospital, said the boy had wounds in his legs and hands.

MYMENSINGH INCIDENT

A leader of Mymensingh municipality AL unit and his men intercepted 12-year-old Saddam Hossain at Patgudam while the boy was returning home from his aunt's house in Netrakona around 2:00pm on Wednesday, said the boy's mother, Parvin Akhter.

They accused the boy of stealing the mobile phone of a woman at Krishtapur and beat him up with sticks, said Parvin who collects scraps in the area.

"I am not a snatcher. I repeatedly requested them not to beat me,           but they did not listen to me," Saddam told reporters yesterday at his home.

There was public outrage after video footage of the incident was posted on social media.

Around 10:00pm on Thursday, Parvin filed a case with Mymensingh Kotwali Police Station against four to five unidentified persons.

No arrests were made till last night.

Our correspondents from Lalmonirhat and Mymensingh contributed to this report.