Editorial
Eruption of violence at Shahbagh
The recurring pattern of death and violent protest must end
The mayhem in Shahbagh following a Dhaka University student's death in a road crash at the notorious intersection on Tuesday was a sad and violent deja vu. We are increasingly facing two kinds of violence -- one, in the recklessness of callous and unskilled drivers with no regard for human life and the second, in uncontrolled public fury -- especially that of university students who take the law into their own hands -- resulting in damage to public and private property. The general public, meanwhile, are sandwiched in between the two forms of excess, sustaining bodily injury, damage to vehicles, and endless hours of being stuck in traffic stemming form the violence and roadblocks.
The problem, as well as its solution, is manifold. Road safety in the country overall is in a deplorable situation, with thousands dying in road collisions annually. Infrastructural development to reduce congestion and make the roads safer for commuters and pedestrians -- such as an underpass at the Shahbagh intersection which was promised back in 2006 -- is yet to take place. The Shipping Minister, also the Executive President of Bangladesh Road Transport Worker Federation, has often indulged the drivers of public transport by overlooking their educational qualifications, professional training and competence as irrelevant in the context of their providing a greater public service. Pedestrians, too, display a dangerous disregard for their lives and safety when they cross the street, ignoring traffic signals and movement on the pedestrian-unfriendly roads of the capital. Finally, those who erupt in violent protest following such incidents, lack the guidance which could direct them towards peaceful avenues of protest and demand for rights, while the law enforcers responsible for handling such situations seem ill-equipped to do so.
Sadly, every accident, every incident of death, injury and the violence following it, has gone in vain as there has been no change in the situation. We urge the authorities as well as institutions to do everything necessary to end this pattern of death and destruction.
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