Editorial
We condemn the killing of a teacher by his pupil
The reactive road blockade was unacceptable
We are at a loss for words at the murder of Shakhawat Hossain, a teacher by profession who was stabbed and killed because he was only doing his duty as an invigilator. Mr. Hossain was killed by a SSC examinee in South Keraniganj who was caught in the act of cheating during the examination and prevented by the teacher in question. And this is the reaction? To take a knife to repeatedly stab the teacher until death is repugnant to all sensibility of normal teacher-student relationship. We condemn this heinous crime in the strongest possible terms and demand the perpetrator face the full brunt of the law to answer for the crime he has committed.
While it is easy to condemn the act and demand punishment, the sad truth of the matter is that focus will soon shift away from this incident to cover the next big one which should be arriving any time now. And when the camera flashes and media coverage have died down, the bereaved family members of Mr. Hossain will be left to face the music of an uncertain future. We are grateful for the sorrow expressed by the Education minister. We would be even more grateful if the authorities took measures to compensate the family for Mr. Hossain, who was a school teacher of modest means and leaves behind a family in need.
The initial reaction to the murder by students and teachers of Chunkutia Girls' High school and the locals was familiarly predictable. The highway connecting Dhaka and Mawa at the locality was halted for five hours. We don't see any sense in blockading of the road. All it produced were assurances, which had already been given by the local administration and public representatives. Hence this culture of blockading roads is a self-defeating exercise which must end.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments