Death from desperation
The law has once more been undermined by yet another outrage, this time in Madhabpur Upazila of Habiganj. The suicide of a mother and her two children (two other children are fighting for life in hospital) under a speeding train as a consequence of her ostracism by a village shalish must make us sit up and wonder. Despite all the social movement going on about the pernicious nature of such questionable rural arbitration and with the higher judiciary frequently stepping in to put a stop to such practices, there seems to be no let-up in conditions. In this particular case, the thirty-five year-old woman was publicly forced to express remorse by so-called arbitrators who were entirely driven by suspicion. Basically, who are they to take the law into their own hands? A deep sense of shame has now pushed her and her children to tragedy.
A High Court bench has now issued a suo moto rule directing nine persons involved in the shalish to appear before it on 23 August. What must now follow is not only for clear, decisive legal steps to be taken against those directly or indirectly responsible for the tragedy but also to ensure that similar incidents of village arbitration based on hearsay and innuendo are swiftly brought to an end. Unless firm action is taken, a system of parallel justice, one which runs counter to the rule of law and the principles of morality, will continue to vitiate the atmosphere and push more people into helplessness and desperation. In this context, it is important that the state play a more proactive role in coming down hard on those who take the law in their own hands in the name of meting out justice. In a number of cases, so-called preachers with little knowledge of either religious strictures or the law leave no choice for their victims but to wallow in unmitigated shame or, as the Madhabpur incident shows, choose the path of suicide.
Let quick action be taken. Decency and morality must not be subjected to humiliation any more.
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