— Imran Rahman
The location of MC College, Sylhet in serene beauty of nature with cotton white clouds afloat on hillocks and colourful birds chirping and flying in the diaphanous blue sky draws visitors who want to breathe a sigh of relief for some moments from mechanized life. It is one of the places to play a role of lung for the holy land of 360 shrines in the face of ongoing unplanned urbanization in the city.
Since establishment in 1892, the college has produced a number of illustrious personalities who had important role in various service of nation. Unfortunately, this glorious image of it has been tainted in recent years as a part of Chhatra League's countrywide unbridled unruly and non-student activities in education campuses. The same student body set this sign of enlightened heritage earlier on fire that burned 42 of its rooms in 2012.
The recent heinous act in the college just on the heel of mindless murder of Maj. Sinha is beyond known words of condemnation. It revealed once more what a society we are living in where normal life of one is threatened with security at every step; where romantic hour of a newly-wed couple abruptly comes across jungle beset with deadly beasts at a sacred and safe place as good as education institute. Can anything compensate for the loss the victim has been subjected to? Can one feel the pain of humiliation, helplessness and horror she underwent that night with her better half tied with rope in a remote place?
The incident of gang rape by a number of goons of BCL, a yardstick of notorieties of all sorts in the hostel of MC College, however, brings forward that they have done due justice to the legacy they inherited from their predecessor who would boast of celebrating century of rape.
Every time such hideous action goes viral on social media, every time it triggers widespread criticism of people of all tiers including intelligentsia and civil society with our protest finally ending amidst speech rhetoric, human chain and a few sit-in programs. Repetition of such malign goes unabated as usual in prevalent culture of impunity.
Question can come forward why our students who once had the epoch-making role, especially in terms of Language Movement, War of Liberation and Anti-Autocratic Movement of 1990 are resorting today in violent and untoward activities in the education centres. It is an irony of fate that today we have to raise demands for ban of student politics that left historical footsteps in our national crisis moment.
If we lend a deep insight into this rape incident, we will find that all the accused in this case are living in a society where the training of concentrating power and becoming rich overnight anyway is more welcome and a reality; displaying rough attitude is seen as synonymous to personality; where polite and honest people are meant to be backdated; where an education system has developed where a better person is secondary to better student. Absence of democracy, rule of law, violation of human rights, denial of justice and governments tendency for everlasting state power without any genuine representation indulged the student body to go such rampant.
These also led to the control of mainstream political leadership in Bangladesh day by day losing out from the grip of pure politicians. Politics, the noble scripture of establishing peoples' fundamental rights is now getting more power-centric characterized by naked display of illicit money and brandishing firearms.
The statement of Saleh Ahmed, VC, the MC College, in an interview with a national daily that he is `helpless' just reveals that how `so called' backbone of our nation is being kept hostage. Without diagnosing the root cause of the cancer our social body is afflicted with, over the years, our effort to heal it through external treatment has fallen flat.
Recent report of registration of at least five rape cases with various police stations across the country on last September alone, this year, is enough to manifest rape spree of the student wing of the ruling party.
Kalerkontho, a Bangla daily reports on September 28 that a woman filed a case against Md Selim, President, Chhatra League, Atiya Upazila, Delduar, Tangail allegedly for raping her and video recording of that under Prevention of Women and Child Repression Act. On September 6, a teacher brought complaint against an influential student leader of ruling party at Rangpur.
A rape case against Raqib Hasan, president, Chhatra League of Monpura Government College, Vola was filed with Monpura Police Station on September 4. On September 3, a young lady registered a rape case against Mamun Howladar, Chhatra League president, Veduria Union-1 with Vola Model Police Station. On August 20, a case was filed against Mehedi Hasan Nice, former General Secreary, Colaroa Upazila Chhatra League, Sathkhira for allegedly raping a school girl for last four years in the name of marriage. But what about the cases in remote parts of the country, usually out of media coverage?
When power of values decreases, power of money and muscle determines the fate of a society. Sense of mutual respect and compassion becomes less important. Petty self-interest outweighs greater national interest. Price of human rights goes down with price of every commodity in our yearly budget soaring.
- The writer is poet
- Published : The daily observer/ Sunday, 4 October, 2020
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