Beggary, irritation pestering etc.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
SOME days ago a friend of mine told me this. He was at the Kentucky Fried Chicken shop at Dhanmondi when some young people, boys and girls, stepped in for some ice-cream. They got what they wanted and were walking out of the place when they were set upon by some roadside urchins.
They were pestering for some treat, money, etc. When handouts of two taka notes did not work tempers flared among the people who were being pestered. There were shouts at first of 'Get lost! Go!'. But the pestering just increased as those street kids started pawing not only the guys but the girls as well. There is just so much that some people can take (while others probably do the right thing and ignore them) and one among those boys just lost his mind and began flailing with his fists before his legs took over. The kicks were violent to say the least and some of some urchins took the hint and ran. But this did not end there.
Some august citizens who had seen the whole thing and not interfered, even once, now turned on those boys and girls as if they had committed a crime against humanity. They demanded that those who got the worst off be paid and so on and that they would not let them go otherwise. My friend did not stay long and does not know the outcome but the question is, where were the policemen? And how is it that the KFC people allow this kind of hooliganism at their doorstep? I am not denigrating the destitute and less-than-fortunate people who have to beg for a living but surely they do not expect sympathy if they irritate and antagonise people.
After all, people do give them money; otherwise, begging on the streets would not be very fruitful. So why overdo it? And once again, where are the law enforcers when people need them? As for those citizens who were exerting pressure on, even threatening those kids even after seeing everything, there is not much I wish to say about them.
I Khaleel
Dhanmondi R/A
Dhaka
They were pestering for some treat, money, etc. When handouts of two taka notes did not work tempers flared among the people who were being pestered. There were shouts at first of 'Get lost! Go!'. But the pestering just increased as those street kids started pawing not only the guys but the girls as well. There is just so much that some people can take (while others probably do the right thing and ignore them) and one among those boys just lost his mind and began flailing with his fists before his legs took over. The kicks were violent to say the least and some of some urchins took the hint and ran. But this did not end there.
Some august citizens who had seen the whole thing and not interfered, even once, now turned on those boys and girls as if they had committed a crime against humanity. They demanded that those who got the worst off be paid and so on and that they would not let them go otherwise. My friend did not stay long and does not know the outcome but the question is, where were the policemen? And how is it that the KFC people allow this kind of hooliganism at their doorstep? I am not denigrating the destitute and less-than-fortunate people who have to beg for a living but surely they do not expect sympathy if they irritate and antagonise people.
After all, people do give them money; otherwise, begging on the streets would not be very fruitful. So why overdo it? And once again, where are the law enforcers when people need them? As for those citizens who were exerting pressure on, even threatening those kids even after seeing everything, there is not much I wish to say about them.
I Khaleel
Dhanmondi R/A
Dhaka