Street brutality

The other day I was waiting for a public bus near Malibag intersection. The place was too crowded to board a bus. Meanwhile, a police car came with some family members of a high official and got stuck behind a rickshaw which was also stranded due to traffic congestion. Suddenly a policeman came out of the car and started beating the old rickshaw-puller with a staff. Other pedestrians like me requested him not to do so but he did not pay any heed to our request.

This kind of rude and brutal behaviour by policemen is becoming common on city streets now-a-days. They do not treat the low-income people as human beings. While police is supposed to be a friend and protector of the people, behaviour of some of their members speaks otherwise. The police should not forget that they are helped by people in different ways and on different occasions. The example of an ordinary woman Jharna Begum instantly comes to mind. She risked her life and rescued a sub-Inspector of police from a sudden attack by the militants on April 01, 2013. It is true that their duties are far more challenging than others but why should they lose their composure and resort to brutality on the streets?

Bipul K Debnath

Department of English

Dhaka College, Dhaka