Hartal culture
Concerned Bangladeshi, New York, USA
I believe that people in general consider hartals to be an infringement on their rights to pursue their daily lives particularly when these are forced upon them. I am sure if people were not coerced, none would participate in hartals. This is not to say that most of the people are not frustrated with the way the things are. Total absence of law and order, spiralling rise in the prices of basic commodities, and rampant corruption would frustrate anyone. Yet Hartals are not the answers that people want. At least, not yet. We need to stop these hartals and I think it is now time for judicial intervention. A couple of months back , the West Bengal High Court issued a rule (I am not sure about the exact judicial terminology) barring processions through certain streets as those were hindering transportation of patients to hospitals as well as interfering with movements of the office goers. So why can't our top judiciary take cognisance of the untold miseries of millions of people and stop these insane acts? We know that hartal is a democratic right but with the right comes the obligation of not curbing the rights of others. Living here in the United States, one cannot truly fathom the inconveniences being faced by the people. I only hope that sanity will prevail, some how.
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