The culture of impunity

The prevailing culture of impunity has dragged the country to a state where we are witnessing inhuman act of brutalities taking place almost everyday. When the stories of such merciless crimes are revealed in the media, shiver goes down the spine. Take for example the killing of Rajan, Raquib and Rabiul. They were so tender of age that even the court of law would have overlooked many of their acts that might seem otherwise criminal in the eye of law.
Rape cases are taking place with such a frequency that one might think that this most degradable act of crime done against the dignity of a woman or girl is no grave matter in this country. A rapist here seems to be outside the periphery of law. A vernacular daily yesterday reported that in the last six months of this year a total of 378 women or in some cases even babies were raped. And the statistics say 44 persons were killed after they had been raped. Yet we hardly see that perpetrators of such heinous crimes being tried and punished by law.
Then take the killing of bloggers. A total of five of them---Rajib Avijit, Ananta, Washiq, Niloy--- have been killed brutally one after another within a couple of years’ time, yet pathetically the law enforcers could not nab any of the real perpetrators of the crime. It is hardly anything short of irony when the IG of police urged the bloggers not to write anything that hurt sentiments of the people. Did he say this to hide his department’s total failure in this regard? After a crime is committed, it was noticed in the past that police in many cases arrested people in drove, yet dubiously they went scot free after some time.  
The law-abiding citizens are now with an impression that the culture of impunity has become an established fact in the present-day society of Bangladesh and this came to the fore in a discussion of the civil society members in the capital recently. But the country must be brought back from the muddy slime of inhuman crimes and moral degradation. This is the crying need of the hour and we are here demanding utmost attention from the highest level of the state.
It must be ensured that law enforcing agencies are swiftly dealing with crimes that are happening in the society with a judicial system dispensing justice without delay. If the state fails to give security to its citizens, the fabric of it will grow still weaker.         
          

 

The culture of impunity

The prevailing culture of impunity has dragged the country to a state where we are witnessing inhuman act of brutalities taking place almost everyday. When the stories of such merciless crimes are revealed in the media, shiver goes down the spine. Take for example the killing of Rajan, Raquib and Rabiul. They were so tender of age that even the court of law would have overlooked many of their acts that might seem otherwise criminal in the eye of law. Rape cases are taking place with such a frequency that one might think that this most degradable act of crime done against the dignity of a woman or girl is no grave matter in this country. A rapist here seems to be outside the periphery of law. A vernacular daily yesterday reported that in the last six months of this year a total of 378 women or in some cases even babies were raped. And the statistics say 44 persons were killed after they had been raped. Yet we hardly see that perpetrators of such heinous crimes being tried and punished by law. Then take the killing of bloggers. A total of five of them---Rajib Avijit, Ananta, Washiq, Niloy--- have been killed brutally one after another within a couple of years time, yet pathetically the law enforcers could not nab any of the real perpetrators of the crime. It is hardly anything short of irony when the IG of police urged the bloggers not to write anything that hurt sentiments of the people. Did he say this to hide his departments total failure in this regard? After a crime is committed, it was noticed in the past that police in many cases arrested people in drove, yet dubiously they went scot free after some time. The law-abiding citizens are now with an impression that the culture of impunity has become an established fact in the present-day society of Bangladesh and this came to the fore in a discussion of the civil society members in the capital recently. But the country must be brought back from the muddy slime of inhuman crimes and moral degradation. This is the crying need of the hour and we are here demanding utmost attention from the highest level of the state. It must be ensured that law enforcing agencies are swiftly dealing with crimes that are happening in the society with a judicial system dispensing justice without delay. If the state fails to give security to its citizens, the fabric of it will grow still weaker.