Victims live on nerves
Apart from fear for lives, the family of Sakira Nasreen Mitu and Sanjida Nasrin Simu, the victims of stalking, is now facing financial crisis as their mother cannot run her music school at their Nikunja residence.
Sahanaz Begum, their mother, used to teach music to local children to support her family but students have stopped coming fearing that Ekabbar, the local stalker, and his gang might attack them.
"Fear for life has cut us off from the rest of the world as neither can we go out nor anybody dares to come to our house. Under this circumstance, we are facing acute financial crisis as none of my students is coming to my house for lesson", Sahanaz told The Daily Star.
Her husband works as a construction worker in Dubai and the money he sends is spent on food and the education of her two daughters. With her earnings, Sahanaz used to pay the house rent and maintain other expenses.
But she cannot even go outside her house to teach her students.
"Who will resist Ekabbar and his gang if they attack for revenge?" she asked this correspondent in a feeble voice, adding that the accused stalkers are still threatening them over the telephone.
Home Minister Shahara Khatun pledged to ensure their security during her visit to their house following the incident but police have yet to take any steps to this end, Mitu, one of the victim sisters, said.
Ekabbar and his gang had been teasing Mitu and Simu about their dark complexion calling them Ma Kali (Goddess Kali) for one and a half years.
On August 17, Khilkhet police went to Nikunja area on information that a group of youths was stalking two teenage girls. As they arrested one of the alleged stalkers, his accomplices swooped on the police team and snatched a pistol from one of the police members.
Police filed a case accusing some 150 people and arrested 32 “innocent” people in this connection but they have yet to arrest the identified culprits and recover the firearm, locals said.
They alleged that police picked up local shopkeepers and hawkers while the real culprits are absconding.
Tahurunnessa, an elderly lady living in the area, said police detained her son, Lal Mia, a milk trader, who used to earn the family's bread.
"I know nothing about my son's whereabouts since police detained him during a raid on that night [Aug 17]," she told The Daily Star.
Contacted, Khilkhet Police Station Officer-in-charge Shamim Hossain denied the allegation of harassing any innocent person but admitted that they could not recover the pistol and arrest the alleged stalkers.
About Lal Mia, police said he was sent to jail as they primarily found him guilty of attacking the police team.
For Sahanaz and her family, the dilemma is such that they can neither live in nor leave Nikunja as there is a case filed in connection with stalking her daughters.
"As we informed police about the threat over the phone, they asked us not to receive unknown phone calls," she said.
Locals alleged the accused stalkers had been using ruling Awami League's name not only to stalk girls but also to grab land and extort locals.
Comments