Nusrat murder trial must be fast-tracked
A rather distorted version of the old adage "Great things are done when men and mountains meet" has come to become the norm in our society. In here, violent crimes are committed when criminals, the politically powerful and state agencies come together to perpetrate crimes of Himalayan proportions. There are several cases that prove this fact—for example, the Toki murder, a case of brutal killing in which the state agencies have done everything to see the murderers evade the law, and that of a helpless woman in Sitakunda who was raped and, thereafter, with the collusion of the police, implicated as a yaba trader.
Nusrat Jahan Rafi's murder is the latest of such cases where the murderers linked with the local ruling party leaders in Sonagazi, Feni, in collusion with the local police, tried to distort the case, and soft pedal on it, initially.
However, now that the charge sheet has been submitted, and in good time too, against 16 accused, we hope that the case will be tried in the speedy trial court and the killers, who committed a well-planned murder, be handed down exemplary punishment. The case should not become a victim of legal tangles and delay tactics, a fate that has befallen many such cases.
As for the law enforcers, the Feni SP reneged on his oath when he tried to shelter the OC. Failure to take timely action, deliberate delay in investigation and actions that reduce the merit of the case amount to collusion in the crime. We must thank the police authorities for recognising this fact and taking action against both the SP and OC of Sonagazi police station for abdication of duty. But that we think is an initial action only. When the keepers of the law collude with the law-breakers, they virtually become party to the commitment of the crime and deserve equal degree of punishment as those who have breached the law, if not more.
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