Editorial
Sunday's street violence
Let's find an answer
The death of a Dhaka University student, allegedly at the hands of transport workers, and the violence which followed on and around the university campus, calls into question several factors. The looming question is, however, how did the situation deteriorate so? A disagreement between university students and transport workers should have ended right there. Instead, things spiralled into the killing of a 25-year-old university student which we condole and half a day's worth of violence which we condemn.
Such events are proving to be increasingly uncontrollable and we must ask why. Transport workers have often proven unruly and are becoming increasingly more so. They must be dealt with a firm hand and the owners and operators of the vehicles, too, should be held accountable. The role of the police, from whom the transport workers allegedly snatched some of the students embroiled in the violence before beating them -- one to his death -- was also questionable. Their failure to control the violence also calls for enhancing the capacity of the police force, especially in terms of mob control, as such events have become a recurring phenomenon. Finally, we must question the basic civic responsibility of the students who, following any untoward incident, go on an indiscriminate rampage, injuring people and damaging private and public property. While we sympathise with their frustrations, we also expect members of the most prestigious educational institutions in the country to realise that violence has never been the answer and to respect property and uphold self-image of the students as educated citizens.
We hope that the committee formed to investigate the incident on behalf of the university authorities will do so with utmost effectiveness and promptness. Cooperation from all parties and strict handling of the case may be the only way to prevent such unfortunate incidents from occurring in future.
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