Editorial
Barbaric acts
The offenders must swiftly be brought to book
IT is all a reminder of medieval barbarism. In Chapainawabganj, a local influential politician took it upon himself the other day to subject a young man to unimaginable torture for altogether five hours before petrified villagers. In Faridpur, a father was asked by influential locals to hit his own son because of alleged theft of a mobile phone by the boy. In the Chapainawabganj incident, the chairman of Gomostapur Boalia Union Parishad was outraged that the young man he humiliated had earlier filed a case against his supporters regarding the stealing of some irrigation equipment. There are also reports, though, of old enmity between the chairman and the father of the young man.
A critical question arises here. It, of course, relates to rule of law. It is simply inconceivable that in these modern times and especially when a democratically elected government and parliament are functioning in the country, some elements are yet around and all too ready to defy the state through behaving in morally and legally unacceptable manner. In the recent past, as also earlier, people have been subjected to inhumane behaviour through the activities of so-called village arbitration. The plight of quite a few has been reported in the media, which was quickly followed by a chorus of protest at such barbaric behaviour by citizens. But that in no way convinces us that similar bad practices are not going on in the deep interior of the country. Where the Chapainawabganj affair is concerned, the man who perpetrated the misdeed of keeping the young man hanging from a tree for five years and even refused to give him a glass of water when he asked for it happens to be associated with the ruling Awami League. One is tempted into thinking that his proximity to power may have been a strong factor in his audacious behaviour. And that is a shame.
We strongly condemn such behaviour. More than that, we think it is an absolute necessity for the authorities to take strong, swift action by bringing the offenders in Chapainawabganj and Faridpur to book. At the same time, the authorities must move against any recurrence of such behaviour in any part of the country. A failure to act can only embolden the elements of darkness in committing further outrage.
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