LATEST news reports indicate that an auto-rickshaw driver in Kishoreganj Sadar upazila was burned alive by a group of drug addicts. Apparently the drug addicts retaliated after being prohibited by the auto-rickshaw driver from taking drugs near his house. The victim was a resident of Shibpur village and is said to have died on the way to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
A news report added that the Police arrested two suspects in haor area after the victim’s uncle filed a murder case against four people including the two suspects. The other suspects are absconding. According to reports, family members told local reporters that the youths brutally burnt the victim as he forbid them to take drugs near his house. The youths took the victim to a local fishery, tied his hands and legs and set him afire after pouring petrol over him. The victim was almost completely burnt before locals could rescue him after hearing his screams for help according to the police statement.
It is both difficult and disappointing that the youth of today have taken drug abuse as a recreational pastime and the authorities are not even doing the bare minimum to curb the habit or penalize those involved in the drug business. Just a few months ago, police officers were caught aiding Yaba dealers by helping them smuggle thousands of pieces of the drug into the capital city through different channels.
Many areas of the city are overrun by drug addicted or intoxicated youths who harass or attack passers-by and locals but the police seem not taking enough action to keep them at bay. The situation is no better in rural Bangladesh. This death incident is an eye opener. When one wonders why there are so many drug addicts on the loose, the answer to that question is answered by the reality of corruption and indifference that exists in different limbs of the government, which holds back any progress that can be made in drug awareness campaigns as well as the stopping of drug smuggling. Interestingly, neighbouring India is the major supplier to Bangladesh through smuggling.
No fear of drugs or penalties have been instilled into the hearts of the masses and people of all ages consume it without fear as our meagre drug laws are not properly enforced by the government. The death of the auto-rickshaw driver is one of many deaths suffered by regular people at the hands of drug addicts who roam around freely without fear of the law or opportunities to save themselves from their addictions. The state of government or even some private run rehabilitation centres are very poor which do not serve their purposes in helping people.
When we say that the government must act strongly and with imagination, we do not mean just ministers. We have a vast number of public servants and they must justify their existence by effectively dealing with drug problem.
