Example of miscarriage of law, order
Monoranjan Hajong, the father of traffic police sergeant Mohua Hajong, lost one of his legs after getting hit by a car on December 3 at the capital's Chairman Bari area.
The car was driven by Saif Hasan, the son of a Supreme Court justice.
What transpired after the incident was the perfect example of miscarriage of law and order and the reach of the influential few of the society.
The accused was taken to the police station along with the car from the place where the incident took place, and yet, he was released without facing any kind of action, Jyotirmoy Barua, an advocate of the Supreme Court, told The Daily Star.
"This is highly regrettable."
After 14 days, the case was accepted against three "unknown persons".
Two days before, the accused person himself filed a general diary against the victim's family. In the GD, the detailed information of the accused was included.
Despite having this information, the case was filed after 14 days with the mention of unknown perpetrators.
"I can't match the facts. Not taking the case under the name of the accused is a crystal clear example of a criminal offence and it is a violation of professional responsibilities."
He went on to call for departmental action against the officer-in-charge of Banani police station as well as a trial under the criminal law.
"We always say the judicial wing is independent and the law and order runs its own course. But that is not the case. Those who are in the higher positions, or who are highly wealthy, spread their web of influence to justify their own crimes by different ways and means," Barua added.
Police should have taken the case immediately, said Muhammad Nurul Huda, a former inspector general of the police.
"As a rule of thumb, it is the police's duty to accept and record assumed cases as they come. Next comes an investigation to determine the truth. Not accepting the case is a weakness."
Huda went on to call for a thorough investigation of the issue.
Supervising officers or the court can ask for an explanation in this regard, he added.
Nur-e-Azam Mia, the OC of Banani police station, said an all-out investigation is going on. "We can share the details after the investigation is complete," he told The Daily Star.
The media also was complicit in the violation of basic rights of Hajong, a retired Border Guard Bangladesh member: it did not take Hasan's name at all.
"Here, a power abuse took place due to the existence of power play. His name was not published because the media is biased towards the powerful," said Robayet Ferdous, a professor of the University of Dhaka's mass communication and journalism department.
Another reason behind not publishing his identity could be the media's fear of the court.
Had Mohua Hajong been higher-ranked police, a senior official from a different force or a prominent businessman instead of being a lower-ranked sergeant, her case would have been filed and she or her family would not have faced any kind of harassment, Ferdous said.
"Monoranjan Hajong faced boundless injustice. He became a victim of an accident. He was wounded, he was suffering in the hospital bed, and yet, virtually no one stood in favour of him."
Instead, a GD was filed against him and his daughter with the intent to harass and intimidate.
"Our administration works in favour of people like the accused -- those in the upper echelons of the power structure. Our media too works in favour of the powerful, the rich, the Dhaka city inhabitants and the men. Those who are women, marginalised and poor are always given less importance by the media," Ferdous added.
Gitiara Nasreen, also a professor at the DU's MCJ department, echoed the same.
While the digital security act and several other harassing and silence-inducing procedures can be blamed for its silence, a bigger reason is the involvement of the media with the power centres.
"In order to stay connected with the power centres or to enjoy certain benefits, the media is becoming more of a 'lapdog' instead of playing the role of the 'watchdog', which they are supposed to play."
The government's wings that are supposed to ensure safety and justice for its citizens are not performing their duties, Nasreen said.
"Under the current circumstances, the citizens are living in constant trepidation. The influential people are holding the common people at gunpoint and for this, they don't have to face any kind of accountability, either."
Translated by Mohammed Ishtiaque Khan