What a shame!

That is Biman -- vividly demonstrated in the front-page photograph and the report published in a daily on Wednesday. What a shame! Before any thing else the MD on behalf of Biman should extend his public apology to all for this in-acceptable violence by a Biman personnel, that too on a female customer. The country's women's organisations should take it up with the authorities. The inquiry has nothing to do with the visible physical violence as the picture published in the newspaper demonstrates the incident.

Is the inquiry by Biman to see if violence was justified or not? Why the Biman authority has not taken instant action against the criminal who has sullied the national flag carrier by his act of violence? There are volumes of complaints against Biman's management that ignores customers in typically wrong monopolistic and bureaucratic mindset. This heinous incident exactly pinpoints to that attitude. Would the higher authorities instruct the MD for seeking a public apology?

Most airlines advertise and try to practice "service with a smile"; in Biman office it is probably "Service with violence"; and maybe, in future "service with killing". Otherwise; the MD's position against violence by his personnel should have been clear by now. Maybe, the management does not practice or believes in the sales motto "Service before self", the root of all service and sales-oriented organisations.

Unless stern action is taken immediately against the culprit, this incident may frighten Biman's passengers and create a negative impact in  public mind. In no way can the Biman management justify violence against a woman customer.

Engr S A Mansoor

Dhaka