Assaults on freedom fighters

Miah Mashiur Rahman, a freedom fighter in Magura, was brutally assaulted recently by a bunch of criminals for protesting the theft of trees worth about Tk. 3 lakh from his land. Having received death threats from the same group of thugs, his family was too afraid to file a case against the criminals.

A similar assault on another freedom fighter in Hatibandha upazila was reported by this newspaper on the same day. The man named Farid Uddin, was assaulted by local musclemen among whom was a ward unit secretary belonging to the ruling party, who, ironically, served as a ward unit secretary for the Jamaat-e-Islami not long ago. 

Detestably, the criminals even evicted Farid Uddin's family from their home, compelling them to live under the open sky. At a time when the government is making homes for indigent freedom fighters, how is it that one of the ruling party members is violently dislodging one?

As shameful as the assaults are for our nation, these are, by no means, rare occurrences. And the fact that this is happening so often should not only bring us shame, but also force us to reflect on our history and contemplate where and why we went wrong. After all, is this any way of repaying the valiant freedom fighters who had given us our freedom and a land to call our own? The authorities must, in the meantime, bring the perpetrators to justice, regardless of their political affiliation.