Arrest Biswajit's killers
IT is unacceptable that, two years after the gruesome murder of innocent youth, Biswajit Das, the police have failed to arrest 13 of 21 convicted killers, despite reports alleging that many of the convicts can be seen roaming around freely in the capital.
The harrowing images of unruly BCL activists hacking, pounding and beating the non-partisan Biswajit to death during an opposition-sponsored blockade must still be fresh in the minds of all those who saw the footages of the killing. The images must especially haunt his family, who are still waiting for justice to be served.
Public outcry compelled the government to try the BCL activists of Jagannath University, and a Dhaka tribunal condemned 8 of them to death and sentenced 13 other BCL men to life imprisonment last year, initiating hope in people's minds that justice will prevail.
However, the fact that a majority of them – two of whom were sentenced to death and 11 were given life term – are still running free only goes to highlight the existing culture of impunity enjoyed by criminals, especially those claiming proximity to the ruling party.
Media reports and eye-witness accounts contend that many of the fugitives can be seen fearlessly parading in the capital, even around Jagannath campus, but the police have turned a blind eye towards them.
We urge the government to end the culture of impunity and ensure due process of justice. It must demonstrate that it values the freedom and lives of its ordinary citizens more than that of its party affiliates by arresting the fugitives immediately.
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