Drinking Deaths
The problem started on Saturday. About forty persons got sick after drinking country liquor in the many shack shops of the brew at the Tejgaon railway station gate! And some of them died the following day. But strangely, patrons went to those shops on Sunday, took their drinks and a number of even these fell sick. And a number of these died as a result. The police came to know of the poisoning deaths only on Monday, the day people's action began and ransacked at least three or four of the dozens of drinking joints.
The victims did not go to hospitals and their relatives avoided police. This is both sad and interesting that the addicts cared for social stigma not while they were alive and boozing but when they were very nearly dead from what they believed to be a vice.
So many people dying from being poisoned and at a time - is a revolting scandal. And it gains in notoriety because of the facts that the drinking dens prospered and proliferated with police patronage. Not a few policemen apparently frequented the joint for a free sip. A retired policeman, as reported in a vernacular daily, gave protection to the business for a monthly toll of not less than three lakh taka.
The other alarming fact is that the so-called people's action against the drinking dens stopped abruptly after the ransacking of only three or four shacks. Just for the fear of local mastans who understandably want the dens to thrive.
Who will be made to pay for these deaths? Someone must bear the responsibility. And something must be done to prevent any repetition of such tragedy.
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