After the emancipation from the former controversial and corrupted socio-political framework that not only advocated discrimination but also imposed violence, people of Bangladesh now under the leadership of Dr Muhammad Yunus’s Interim government have once again embraced their patriotic pride as the freedom loving citizens. Inspired by the gallant sacrifices of students and people during the anti-discrimination movement, people have once again found the courage to adopt democratic ideals. However, while we are celebrating our triumph over the past political struggles, Bangladesh is the world’s 21st most crime infested country in 2024 as per the crime index of NUMBEO,a collection of web pages containing numerical and other itemizable data about cities and countries. It reflects various criminal activities we are witnessing almost every single day. Every day, the online and offline media have been flooded with reports of burglary, theft and murder, leaving the nation dreaded about one’s personal safety.
The murder of six-year-old MuntahaAkhterZerin is one of the many recent cases, which terrifies us about our descent as a country scarred by crimes and malice. On the 3rd of November, police were reported of Muntaha’s suspected abduction from Kanaighat inSylhet. It was not until seven days had passed that Muntaha’s body- devoid of life- was discovered buried under mud near a pond.MdRafiqul Islam, additional superintendent of police, Sylhet, revealed that all evidences pointed towards the involvement of Muntaha’s previous home tutor along with three others suspects in this despicable ploy. Further investigations revealed that Shamima Begum Marjiaharboured vengeance against Muntaha’s family ever since she was relieved of her duties as a teacher due to misconducts. Thus, revenge driven Marjia manifested her rage in the form of an abysmal act that ended in the death of Muntaha.
Unfortunately, this trend of belligerence continued. For an instance, only three a few days later, on November 13, the severed body of JasimUddinMasum, a businessman residing in Bashundhara Residential area in Dhaka, was recovered.Media reports saidRumaAkhter, who had an extramarital affair with Masum,calledhim to her home inShyamoli and then sedated him before the killing.Masum’s unconscious body was axed into several pieces and dumped in various locations in Dhaka’s Purbachal area. Ruma confessed to the killing the 62 year old businessman to take revenge following an altercation with him.
Alongside the case of Muntaha and Masum, the nation has been a witness to an array of demonic felonies, which include the 28th September’s double murder in Gulshan, the killing of AlalMia,a gang burglary, and the much more grotesque murder of Santona Begum.Santona’s husband beheaded her and dumped her body somewhere near Daffodil University in Savar.
The frequent incidents of such brutalities, defying our values and ideals as Bangladeshis and even more as fellow humans, make us think that this trend of barbarity is slowly but surely being integrated into our culture. It reflects upon our broken society that observes lovers turning on each other and children being squashed between the conspiracies of adults. The recent crime trends indicate how the economic and political impediments in Bangladesh are now disrupting familial and social understanding between people, leading to serious conflicts even among close relatives and acquaintances. Though small in numbers, some people are following the path of chaos and violence fuelled by prejudices and hatred. Their tainted morality is manifesting a culture of crimes, a culture that keeps fueling the vitality of every potential criminal.
So, to rebuild Bangladesh into a democratic country that follows the constitution of human rights, first we should address such culture of brutality. The situation demands that we not only tighten the law and order but also improve parenting and childcare in order to effectively impart moral and social values to our future generations from an early or developmental age. Additionally, the atmosphere of prisons in Bangladesh must also be improved. Conventional prisons are only used asthe prisoners’ abodes, which turn them into more aggressive criminals once they are out of the prison. In fact, a man before stepping into the prison might not be a criminal, but, a man stepping out often is. Changing the environment of our prisons might therefore play an important rolein changing the existing bleak scenario in the sense that criminals would no longer be treated as ‘typical irredeemable sinners’ but as men who need dedicated attention for the sake of rectifying their mistakes. If we stop using prisons as a means of separating criminals from the society and, instead, focus on increasing the inclusivity of offenders by holding them accountable for their social responsibilities, the future might witness a significant reduction in crimes.
However, once people start realising that they are merely a cog in something much bigger than themselves called the ‘society’ and that their life is not only about themselves, we can build a safersociety that will not have to tolerate killing of a six-year-old girl or people getting axed.
RizveeRahman is a student of North South University
