Banyan tree under arrest for 118 years

There are more things in heaven and earth,
Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
If this observation made by Shakespeare in his masterpiece "Hamlet" is axiomatic, human characters also never fail to surprise their own species. Unfortunately for us, there is no knowing how other creatures perceive the so-called top ranked animal with all the weaknesses, arrogance, frailties, hubris and caprices he is heir to. It is, however, man who gives names to all things -animate or inanimate -created. The world, or even the universe, it is said, is there only to serve him.
What a super ego and equally matching biased attitude towards the creation! Shakespeare knew better and therefore wanted to caution man about his limitation. But man's problem is that he does not learn from mistakes. He treats things contemptuously forgetful of his own insensitivity and insanity.
If this is not the case, how can a British army officer, James Squid, of colonial era order for arrest of a banyan tree that he thought was lurching towards him. That the officer was drunk and had the liberty of fantasising things that had no existence whatsoever is quite obvious. But who would tell him the truth to his face. After all, he was the boss and even in his state of insanity his order had to be carried out. So the mess sergeant who was present at the time chained the banyan tree.            
What is stranger than fiction is that the tree has been suffering the punishment ever since the order had been executed in 1898, exactly 118 years ago. The tree is fettered with chains till today and even bears a signboard that reads: 'I am under arrest'. Pakistan's Landi Kotal army cantonment area where the tree stands preserves not just the hubris of a man but also a piece of history of arbitrary power exercised by the colonial rulers. Had the officer been a man of worth he would have felt ashamed of his unstable mind from intoxication and effaced the sign later on. Instead, the chain remained there as a mark of capricious rule.
It is not a stigma that the banyan tree carries, it is one that is humiliating for a man and by extension his species. Trees, least of all a banyan tree, hardly do any harm to people on their own volition. Rather, it is the opposite -they help refresh air for man and other animals. Without trees, the existence of the Earth full of lives is unimaginable. Fettering a tree for 118 years is an act of disgrace for the mankind. It would be fitting to seek pardon from this tree for the unholy act. The army officer has caused sacrilege by abusing his power. He should have realised it when he became sober but evidently he did not. In fact, sobriety is hardly considered a virtue by colonial rulers.
The British had to leave the sub-continent but they have left their malicious legacy for people here to follow. It is because of this the Pakistanis considered Bangladesh their neo-colony. They did not act any better and had to leave the country humiliated. Home to the tree, Landi Kotal boasts a tribal population that is not known to go by rules and laws. They have their own traditions and customs. Is the chain still maintained, following the British rulers, that non-compliance will land people in similar situations?  Whatever may be the case, this bizarre incident does not make any people proud.