Sagor Mia repeatedly screamed for help, cried for water and begged for his life. But the group showed no mercy. The torture continued. And at one point, he collapsed and died of his injuries later. The 18-year-old’s only “fault” was he allegedly tried to steal a water pump at a hatchery in Char Sreerampur village of Mymensingh’s Gouripur. And for this, he had to die this cruel death allegedly at the hands of the hatchery owner, Akkas Ali, and some of his employees. Apparently, one of the onlookers filmed the torture on a mobile phone and shared it on social media. The video went viral.
The incident, which harks back to the gruesome murder of teenage boy Samiul Islam Rajon in 2015, happened on Monday morning. At one point, Sagor crumpled to the ground. At this, the men untied his hands and left the place with him in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. They said they were taking him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, said the witness. However, the victim, son of Shipon Mia, a hawker from Natokghar Lane Railway Colony in Mymensingh town, was never taken to the hospital. Instead, his body was dumped into the bushes sometime later.
Sagor died of his injuries and the torturers threw his body in the bushes. Later, the culprits went into hiding, said the OC, adding that the law enforcers were raiding several places to arrest the killers. Shahidul Haque Sarker, Chairman of local Douhakhola Union Parishad, said he informed police about the dead body after one of the villagers discovered it around 10:00am on Tuesday.
Quoting locals, the Chairman also accused Akkas and his men of killing the boy and dumping the body into the bushes. His father Shipon said his son was innocent and demanded justice. Shipon filed a murder case against 12 people, including Akkas, with Gouripur Police Station.
It is most unfortunate that we standby without a single protest at the inhumane treatment meted out to our fellow citizens. The desire to do the right thing, out of moral grounds, simply does not exist in the minds of our citizens. It is because of this that the local rich and influential people find the courage and impunity to punish whom-ever they will, as they don’t fear retribution from anyone even the law enforcers.
But why does this mindset exist? Is it because we don’t have the ability to feel empathy for the helpless, or because we are simply afraid to butt in, fearing the retribution of the rich and powerful. Either way, it denotes a moral vacuum, a reduction in our ability to do right or wrong, or even, worse, correct it. Why did no one come forward to protest the injustice? Why didn’t the police investigate why he was beaten up? Why didn’t anyone call the police? All of these are questions which have harsh answers. To protect ourselves, we must protect others. To prevent the abuse of power, we must ensure that we have the courage to stand up for what is right. Nothing else matters.
