The brutal daylight murder of scrap trader Lal Chand, alias Sohag, shocked the nation to its core. The horrifying footage, widely circulated on social media, showed a man being mercilessly beaten to death in the middle of a busy street, while hundreds of onlookers passed by - silent, indifferent, or afraid.
This was not just a killing; it was a test of our collective conscience. Did we, as a society, fail that test? Have we truly lost our humanity? Why did no one intervene? Why did no one raise a voice, let alone try to stop the killers?
Many of us would like to believe that compassion and courage still live within us. But in that moment, on that street, all we saw was apathy. The crowd became passive spectators to a crime that could have been prevented if even a handful had stood together. Sohag, in his final moments, must have looked around at familiar faces in his own community, screaming and pleading silently for help. But none came.
This incident raises deeply unsettling questions. Are we too frightened, too self-centered, or too disconnected to act when it matters most? Have we grown so accustomed to violence and fear that we now accept such horror as part of daily life?
By not acting, we have silently endorsed the culture of impunity-of extortion, violence, and lawlessness. The next victim could be any one of us. What happened to Sohag could happen again, and each time we choose silence, we further normalise the unthinkable.
Let Sohag's tragic death serve as a wake-up call. If we don't reclaim our moral courage now, we risk becoming nothing more than heartless bystanders in our own crumbling society.
Abu Taher
Dhaka
abutaher011@gmail.com
