Editorial
Justice Thwarted
Four policemen accused in the Shima rape and murder case have been acquitted by the Judge of the Nari-o-Shishu Nirjaton Damon Adalot women and child repression Prevention Court. But the judgement did not only pronounce the accused free in the absence of proof beyond doubt of their crime, it also categorically said that the prosecution case was so made out as to make conviction impossible. More than one witness almost testified to the innocence of the accused. How could this be possible, the judgement wondered. The verdict - a big document of 46 pages - in so many words answered the query. Police were the complainant and police were the accused and again the selfsame police were the investigators in the case. The rest followed logically - the complainant so managed the investigation that little was left for the judge to do - there was simply no case there. If the judgement has acquitted four police individuals, it has at the same time convicted the whole police institution of Bangladesh. The observations, very much a part of the judgement, are enough to throw to the dust the image of the police as the protecting hand of justice and keeper of the peace. The freedom of its personnel, the police have bought at a very great price - a big dent in its integrity and fairness.
Perhaps the government should not be faulted for this. But how far can it justifiably distance itself from what one of its arms does? The Shima case is going to put a black spot on the government - very black and very hard to wipe out. It is now a fit case for all women's organisations to denounce the government's ineptness in handling its police. It may be as well they would move the court for retrial and sue police for conspiracy.
If the Home Minister is most deservingly congratulated for the arrest of Sweden Aslam, Bikash, Sanaullah and Nasir, he must also be strongly asked to discipline his police into not repeating the Shima case performance. And he must also be told that we, with the whole of the nation, did not like the police lathicharge on the DEPZ garments workers hurting hundreds, mostly women, and some of them seriously. The essential difference between governments comes out in its use of the police force. We expect police to perform differently now. This must not be wrecked or the government will be harmed.
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