Attack on college teacher

The leg tendons of a college teacher were severed by unknown assailants in Gopalganj on Wednesday. It caused public commotion and people of Gopalganj town came out on the roads to register their protest against the attacka sure sign of people losing their patience with the latest surge in criminal activities.

Now, it is not easy to work out why a college teacher became the target of the elements with a beastly appetite (what else could it be?) for revenge. Since police have not yet succeeded in arresting the attackers, it is not possible to ascertain the motive behind the crime. But what is pretty clear is that the lives of citizens are insecure and nobody knows who will be the next victim of the lingering lawlessness.

The government move to bring those committing mind-boggling crimes before speedy trial courts was a timely one. But the criminals are still taking advantage of the lax enforcement of the law which allows many of them to escape lightly. The speedy trial courts were set up with the objective of accelerating the pace of dispensation of justice. We believe the crimes, like the one committed in Gopalganj, should be dealt with by a speedy trial court. Such simple solutions, however, often elude us because the success rate of police in arresting the most wanted criminals is not at all satisfactory. Police high-ups should look into the matter and try to improve their score on this account crucially important to the whole plan of containing the crime wave.

The way people are reacting to ghastly crimes must also be taken note of. They are feeling insecure and finding the situation unbearable. What the decision-makers must not overlook is that the public outcry often leads to disruptions like strike calls and road barricades. So it is imperative that crime is handled the way it should be in the interest of all concerned. But for that to happen, police must win back people' s confidence by making sure that criminals do not go unpunished.