Aspiya Islam Kajol crossed all the seven stages of the recruitment process to finally emerge fifth and qualify for recruitment as a trainee constable in the police department. But still the poor and fatherless girl may not get the job simply because of a recruitment regulation prevailing from the colonial British era. The regulation concerns that no landless candidate can be recruited for the service in the police department.
Aspiya happens to be one such hapless candidate whose grandfather was a resident of Charfason in Bhola. From there her father migrated to Hijla, Barishal about 25-30 years ago. He was living in Khunna Gobindpur village under Boro Jalia union on someone else's land but had planned to purchase a piece of land for construction of a house before he died five to six years ago. With the sudden death of his father, the family endured extreme poverty and there was no question of building a permanent residence.
The saga of landlessness continues to haunt the girl who had proved her merit by securing the fifth position among thousands of aspiring candidates for the job. Colonial rules and regulations have shattered the dreams of many other meritorious candidates interested in law enforcement service. Not only are landless candidates but those who have lost their permanent residence to river erosion are also discriminated against even if they qualify in the written and other tests, including medical test.
This is unacceptable in a sovereign republic. It is quite understandable why candidates for job in this particular department should have a permanent homestead if not agricultural land. A house on a piece of land owned by a candidate's family provides a permanent address which acts as the root of the candidate and other members of his or her family. But when one possesses a national identity card, one cannot be untraceable. This should be good enough for a candidate's identification and the ultimate search point.
A union parishad member of Boro Jalia union recommends Aspiya and her father as law-abiding good citizens. She and her family have been living in the area for long and their citizenship is beyond question as endorsed by the representative of the local government. Should it not be enough for her identity as a citizen by birth?
So the rationale behind rejecting a most eligible candidate on the ground of a legal clause ---one that was introduced by the colonial rulers more than 250 years ago ---does not stand the test of time. It should be struck out. Is there a similar requirement for recruitment in the Bangladesh Civil Service? If not, there is no reason why this outmoded provision should be borne as a colonial legacy in an independent country.
It will be a gross injustice if Aspiya whose name means a tendency to exhibit extremes in terms of material success is denied the job she deserves by all means. On social sites, there have been emotional outpourings in favour of the girl at risk of missing the target she set for herself in order to conquer poverty. Even the high officials of the police department are not wanting in sympathy for the girl and would be happy if she got the job.
Both heart and head support her case. So the need is to strike out the ineligibility clause on account of landlessness. If this much-needed step is taken, others well-qualified but constrained by the provision will benefit and make it to the law enforcement service.
nilratanhalder2000@yahoo.com