STALKERS killed a 22-year-old youth for protesting stalking of his sister in the city on Sunday. The incident is pathetic. It’s also a sign of existence of rowdy elements in our society who could even challenge the law enforcement agencies for their inclination with the evil forces. No one would disagree that, the social atmosphere is not yet strong enough to ensure free movement of girls, whatever what advancement in women empowerment have met or gender parity achieved. It is also disgraceful that, our society has failed to protect a brother who protested his sister’s stalking. The reluctance of local people is unforgivable who did not come forward to save the youth. The law enforcement agency also could not arrest the killers. Such a single incident is enough to downturn all the achievements in ensuring gender parity.
Pavel, 22, son of a trucker, hailed from Patuakhali and resident of Jurain under Shyampur police station was fatally injured when a gang of 8-10 local hoodlums beat him black and blue on Saturday night following an altercation on stalking his (Pavel’s) sister. The assailants left the scene leaving him in a pool of blood. Relatives of the victim rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to injuries on Sunday morning. A case was lodged for killing Pavel against the stalkers with the concerned police station but no one was arrested till yesterday evening.
Stalking now appears as a social scourge. Rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra said at least 95 women were sexually harassed between January and September of this year and at least 143 people, including 95 females and 48 males, became victims of stalkers. Of the victims, seven were killed, 26 injured and 101 young girls were assaulted due to protests against stalking. Besides, four girls were committed suicide and five other stopped going to school.
We have no such word to condemn the killing of Pavel. The law enforcers should invest all-out resources to nab the killers, no matter how powerful they are. We will have to act together to make the society safe for free movement of our girls.
