A sad start to the New Year

Just one week into the oh-so-full-of-hope New Year, and we already have a long list of incidents that took place around the world and within Bangladesh which are enough to fill us with sorrow. The raging bushfire in Australia was a tragedy that marked the beginning of the year. It was soon followed by the US embassy attack and the unrest between the US army and the Iraqi supporters of pro-Iranian factions. The killing of a top Iranian general by the US now had us all on the edge of our seat, triggering fear if it will lead to a new war which could eventually lead to a world war. Also, the severe attack by masked men on Jawaharlal Nehru University students and teachers has escalated tensions surrounding India’s controversial new citizenship law and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Not to mention the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, Chile and elsewhere. 

Then there is all the local news of horror and tragedy. Recently, six people including four members of a family were killed as a microbus collided head-on with a bus in Faridpur Sadar upazila. An eighth grader who was allegedly raped by three men in Lohagara upazila tried to commit suicide and later died in hospital while undergoing treatment. Another incident saw a sixth grader die by suicide in Panchagarh Sadar upazila, hours after she was allegedly raped by her neighbour. Not to mention the rape of a Dhaka University student on Sunday night near Kurmitola General Hospital. It saddens me to even write about all this, but the reality is harsh. The aforementioned incidents, among many other reported and unreported ones, make me scared of what lies in our future.

Zeenat Alam, by email