Admitting fault not enough for forgiveness; strict action necessary

The simple Bangla meaning of ‘common sense’ is basic judgement. It is essential for any sensible person to possess this. Otherwise, they end up messing things up in every task. For those holding important positions in the state, common sense is even more crucial. But judging from the situation, it seems some members of our law enforcement agencies may have lost even this basic sense of proportion. Occasionally, they commit such ‘acts’ that leave one utterly shocked. Just like a report from yesterday has left us stunned.

According to news reports, in a case involving a scuffle over land, police from Nandail Model Police Station in Mymensingh arrested a housewife late at night and took her to the station along with her six-month-old twin babies. The next day, a photo of the woman with her babies was posted on the police station’s Facebook page. Using this image, the complainant party also began to spread various slanders. The woman's mental state has been shattered by such actions of the police. The Officer-in-Charge of the station claims, “This was a mistake.”

To label this merely as a lack of common sense is to downplay the crime. It is clearly a violation of human rights, and publishing the image of any citizen—especially a woman with six-month-old twin infants—on the police station’s Facebook page is not only reprehensible but almost a criminal offence. For this, the OC cannot just say “it was a mistake” and expect to be forgiven. That is not acceptable.

No matter what crime the woman may have committed—even if she were accused of murder—a member of the law enforcement agency cannot behave in such a disgraceful manner towards a woman. Moreover, according to the woman’s statement, she was not even present at the scene during the altercation over the land. Yet she was made an accused. The police took her away and posted photos of her with the two innocent children on Facebook. Later, the complainant party made a post as well. From the details, it appears the police at the station acted on behalf of the complainants. In doing so, they committed not one, but two offences.

The details of the incident reveal that following a clash over land, one Ziaur Rahman from the village filed a case with court against his nephew and the nephew’s wife. The housewife received bail after appearing before the court the first time. But as the twin babies were ill, she could not appear the second time. Consequently, an arrest warrant was issued against her. Following that, on the night of July 9, SI Asad from the police station went to her house late at night, arrested her, and brought her to the station along with her twin children. The next day, the police station’s Facebook account posted a picture of the woman and her two babies along with the other accused. This Facebook ID is used to showcase the station’s daily performance.

The housewife’s husband stated that the opposing party has been harassing them in various ways through a series of false cases. He demanded justice for the dishonour done to his wife. When asked, Advocate Habibur Rahman Fakir of Mymensingh Judge Court said there is no provision for arresting someone from their home late at night. Moreover, it was also inappropriate for the police to publish a picture after arresting a woman with children and bringing them to the station.

When an advocate from the Judge Court says that it was ‘inappropriate’ to bring a housewife to the police station with her children in the dead of night, then how justifiable is it to take a photo and publish it? Saying it was ‘inappropriate’ in a soft tone will not lessen the severity of the offence. To be clear, this is a major crime; and legal action must be taken against the OC and those involved.