Gang rape in Sylhet and Citizen’s security
Photo: Collected
The place where the housewife was gang-raped in Sylhet is close to my house. As a result, the issue of crime has naturally made us think. Not only we, but the entire Sylhet and the countrymen are angry and worried about this heinous incident of violence against women.
But the traditional Sylhet is known as the holy land or spiritual city. Unique in its natural beauty, this region is famous for its tea gardens surrounded by small hills and the shrine of Pir Auliya.
The kinship and coexistence of the people of this town is a matter of pride. But the gang rape on September 25 has become a cause of panic in the minds of the people. A girl was gang-raped in front of a room in MC College dormitory block No. 7 in Tilagarh area of the city on Friday night. A young woman drove with her husband to the MC College area on Friday (September 25) afternoon. Her husband was driving the car. After the evening they parked the car in front of the main gate of the college and shopped from a shop. Later they were sitting in the car talking.
At around 8 pm, five youths surrounded their car and forced the husband and wife out of the car. Three young men dragged the girl to a room in the 7th block of the dormitory. Her husband was then stuck in the car by two young men. When he was released an hour later, he went to a room in the 7th block of the MC College dormitory and found his wife devastated.
It is known through various sources that current and former students of the college are also involved in this and it is known that they are also Chhatra League activists. This unfortunate incident demands an overall judicial analysis. Because of the rise in social crime, including gang rape, the issue of civic security has come into question.
According to the investigation, in the first four months of this year, there were 76 incidents of rape in Sylhet district and metropolitan area! Of these, 50 rapes took place in 13 police stations under the district police and 26 in 6 police stations under the metropolitan police. Even in the horrors of the Corona, such a hellish crime has worried everyone.
According to the Sylhet District Police, four women and six children were raped in the first month of January this year. There were 14 rapes in February. Among them 8 children are on the list of rape victim. The highest number of rapes in Sylhet district so far this year was in March. This month, 9 women and 10 children fell prey to lewdness.
According to the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), between January and April, 26 rapes took place in six SMP police stations. Of these, 21 rapes took place in January and February. Then such incidents come down. 4 incidents of rape in March and 1 incident in April have been recorded in the police register. When we talk about these crimes at different levels of the police, they say the same thing. And that is, ‘no matter what happens, the police have taken appropriate action in every case. Cases have been filed; criminals have been brought under the law.
But in reality, there is no sign of a reduction in crime in the city. And the criminals do not stop. Looking at their movements and activities, it does not seem that there is any benefit in the activities of the police or social resistance. Although all the educational institutions of the country have been closed for a long time due to Corona, students and common people have come out. In such a situation, more importance should be given to social security.
Another problem is the inadequacy of the entertainment center in Sylhet. It goes without saying that there is no place to walk in or around Sylhet city. People leave the house in the afternoon. As a result, overflowing crowds of people in certain places. The rate at which people are going near the Baishtila, Goabari Walking Bridge and even the Crins Bridge recently makes it easy to understand the crisis of inadequate recreation centers in a divisional city.
MC College, established in 1892, is one of the oldest educational institutions in Bangladesh. In the Tilagarh area of the city, on a 600-acre land, during the British rule in 1920, the architectural dormitory of Assam style and the surrounding environment is quite pleasant. Visitors flock to the college campus all day long. In the afternoon, locals and many people from the city come for a walk. In such a place, the outside scoundrels have to be strictly suppressed. But that was not done. As a result, horrible gang rape took place.
The time has come to set up recreation or leisure centers along with infrastructure with planned urban planning. It is never desirable that the long-standing environment for the free movement of ordinary citizens in Sylhet be ruined in any way. But it is gradually being destroyed. For this, the question of indulging in political asylum has been raised again and again. Everyone believes that there can be no group of criminals. He must be handed over to the law. The administration has to be strict. No one wants the tradition and reputation of Sylhet to be tarnished in this way.
