MAILBOX

Don't be a Bystander

The article titled "Don't be a Bystander" dated 19 August, 2016, shocked me a lot. Is this the Bangladesh in which we believe? Is this the real scenario of the country? Definitely, the answer is no. When people have no moral strength and human values, they remain bystander even when they see heinous crimes happening in front of them. It is the duty of the society to make people aware and conscious about his duties and responsibility. We should remember that men and women are equal in dignity. No one is superior to another. If we look back at the historic war of 1971, at that time, our people, irrespective of sex, religion and cast, fought against Pakistani ruler's oppression, injustice and atrocities. They did not play the role of a group of bystanders; rather they were brave who actively took part in the war. we can take lesson from our history and take a stand against violence and injustice.
Arif  Billah
Department of Law, University of Dhaka

The Great Shahi Eidgah 

Whenever I pass by Shahi Eidgah located in Dhanmondi, I look at it with great enthusiasm. Sometimes I think about the person who built this magnificent structure and the history behind it. The appearance of the Eidgah indicates that it was built many centuries ago, maybe during Mughal era. I was thinking that whenever I get an opportunity I would go there and find out its history. However, I was very pleased when I read the article titled "The Great Shahi Eidgah" by Nilima Jahan, published in the Star Weekend on 19 August 2016. Reading her article, to my surprise, I got to know that this Eidgah was actually built during Mughal era, when Prince Shah Shuja, the second son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was the governor of Bengal. But the fact that this ancient historical site is in dire need of repair, protection and proper maintenance, makes me upset. I would like to ask the concerned authority to take this subject into their kind consideration.
Enam Hasan
Madhabdi, Narsingdi

Road Crash Realities

Road accidents have become routine news of our newspapers that make little impression in our minds nowadays. However, the departed ones left a deep, incurable scar in the heart of their relatives. Recently, a university bus of the female students of International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) collided with a truck in Dhaka-Chittagong highway. A student died on the spot and more than 20 students were seriously injured. However, this deadly incident hardly got any coverage in the media. Meritorious university students were injured and killed but no step was taken against the owner or driver of the vehicles. This culture of impunity and negligence has to be stopped. We must take some measures to make the situation better such as- we should never appoint drivers without valid license, speed limit must be obeyed everywhere, in the highway, parking vehicles here and there has to be stopped and finally patrolling of highway police has to be increased. 
Kamrunnaher Munni
Faculty of Business Studies, University of Dhaka