Killing in wrong side driving is intentional ‘murder’ :
My point is very simple – when I am on the right side of maintaining law but mistakenly hit someone with my car and killed someone, that is an accident and in the eyes of law it is pardonable. But when I am breaking a law and hit someone to death, it is an outright murder, because I have done it knowingly and consciously, in other words, intentionally.
On Monday last (22nd Feb 2016) the killing of Riazuddin Topu by police vehicle is nothing but murder, because even being people of law enforcing body the police vehicle was on the wrong side and hit Topu.
I have written this issue of wrong side driving and killing many times in different dailies, and even requested the Honourable High Court to declare killing from wrong side driving as ‘murder’. But so far I haven’t seen any reflection of my concern and appeal.
My concern for wrong side driving started more than 3 years ago when my car was about to be hit by a Dhaka University double-decker bus. I narrowly escaped the accident and immediately approached DC-Traffic (West) (I live in Shyamoli). The senior police officer told me that he along with whole traffic department is helpless to the students of Dhaka University and Jagannath University! What a surprise in an independent State! The students simply don’t care and the traffic police are afraid of the students! So you find every day the double-deckers carrying the students of Dhaka University and Jagannath University are plying on the wrong side shouting and waving at the on-coming vehicles plying on the right side.
This struck me with the thought whether the State is powerful or the students of Dhaka University and Jagannath University together. And since then wrong side driving became an issue of constant concern for me. I wrote to the top officials of police departments (including IGP), VCs of Dhaka and Jagannath Universities, home ministry, newspapers and even to the Prime Minister. Nothing happened. I wrote so many letters to editors imploring that wrong side driving should be stopped. I also saw a popular English daily ran a number of issues on wrong side driving. But nothing happened. In last 3 years time since my concern for such law breaking act started to grow a number of people were killed from wrong side driving. And on last Monday 22nd Feb 2016 a police vehicle itself killed a student who had bright future with his wife and minor child.
Now I would say, “Enough is enough”. Once again I would request the Honourable High Court to declare under Suo Motu that killing from wrong side driving should be treated as ‘murder’ and the killer should be treated under existing law that deals with murder, i.e. intentional killing.
As an exemplary punishment the recent killing of Topu should be dealt under criminal act of murder and the court should pass judgment accordingly.
Shazzad Khan
Dhaka
My point is very simple – when I am on the right side of maintaining law but mistakenly hit someone with my car and killed someone, that is an accident and in the eyes of law it is pardonable. But when I am breaking a law and hit someone to death, it is an outright murder, because I have done it knowingly and consciously, in other words, intentionally.
On Monday last (22nd Feb 2016) the killing of Riazuddin Topu by police vehicle is nothing but murder, because even being people of law enforcing body the police vehicle was on the wrong side and hit Topu.
I have written this issue of wrong side driving and killing many times in different dailies, and even requested the Honourable High Court to declare killing from wrong side driving as ‘murder’. But so far I haven’t seen any reflection of my concern and appeal.
My concern for wrong side driving started more than 3 years ago when my car was about to be hit by a Dhaka University double-decker bus. I narrowly escaped the accident and immediately approached DC-Traffic (West) (I live in Shyamoli). The senior police officer told me that he along with whole traffic department is helpless to the students of Dhaka University and Jagannath University! What a surprise in an independent State! The students simply don’t care and the traffic police are afraid of the students! So you find every day the double-deckers carrying the students of Dhaka University and Jagannath University are plying on the wrong side shouting and waving at the on-coming vehicles plying on the right side.
This struck me with the thought whether the State is powerful or the students of Dhaka University and Jagannath University together. And since then wrong side driving became an issue of constant concern for me. I wrote to the top officials of police departments (including IGP), VCs of Dhaka and Jagannath Universities, home ministry, newspapers and even to the Prime Minister. Nothing happened. I wrote so many letters to editors imploring that wrong side driving should be stopped. I also saw a popular English daily ran a number of issues on wrong side driving. But nothing happened. In last 3 years time since my concern for such law breaking act started to grow a number of people were killed from wrong side driving. And on last Monday 22nd Feb 2016 a police vehicle itself killed a student who had bright future with his wife and minor child.
Now I would say, “Enough is enough”. Once again I would request the Honourable High Court to declare under Suo Motu that killing from wrong side driving should be treated as ‘murder’ and the killer should be treated under existing law that deals with murder, i.e. intentional killing.
As an exemplary punishment the recent killing of Topu should be dealt under criminal act of murder and the court should pass judgment accordingly.
Shazzad Khan
Dhaka
