Editorial
Throwing to the 'wolf' in Noakhali
Role of police shocking
The news, and that too, belated, of cops letting a mob in Noakhali beat a 16-year-old boy to death, is shocking. Not only has the worrying trend of mob violence become a common occurrence in recent days, but in this particular case, the role of the police has made it even more alarming. According to witnesses, the law enforcers actually verbally encouraged the mob to kill the boy. If he was in fact a robber -- as police have claimed but which locals have said is unlikely -- then it was the job of the police to arrest him, not let the mob beat him to death, thereby taking the law into their own hands.
Any sort of mob violence is disturbing to say the least -- and this is the second occurrence in Noakhali in a short span of time. But allowing such an incident to occur by not only turning a blind eye to it but actually endorsing it, is sacrilegious on the part of the police. To make matters worse, the victim was a mere child, making it even more repugnant to all sensibilities.
The Home Minister's routine promise of the perpetrators being brought to book and the formation of a probe committee to investigate the incident, are not enough. Severe punishment must be meted out not only to the actual perpetrators but, more importantly, to the abetting law enforcers whose duty it is to protect the people. The reporting of the incident almost two weeks later also draws attention to the role of the media as watchdog which must be more vigilant in its duties. That makes us introspective as well. We urge the concerned authorities to deal with the matter with a strict hand. The message must be made clear that such aberrations of duty and humanity will not be tolerated.
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