Yahya Khan
Cruelty is inevitable in a society intolerant of dissent
In Burichang, Comilla, a young man accused of stealing copper wire from Sakura Steel Mill was caught and tortured by setting two German Shepherd dogs upon him. The victim’s name is Shri Joy Chandra Sarkar, a scrap trader. In the viral video, two hunting dogs are seen biting the young man while several men beat him mercilessly with sticks. Helpless from dog bites and blows, the youth screamed in agony.
Still waiting for death-defying Rumi…
August 29, 1971. It was around midnight. There was a terrified silence in the city of Dhaka under the tight security of the Pakistani occupation forces. On that day, Shafi Imam Rumi returned home just after evening. He told his mother that his friend, guerrilla fighter Hafiz, would be staying the night. The darkness of night was deepening. In his younger brother Jami’s room, the radio was on. Suddenly the airwaves rang out with the song “Ekbar bidaay de ma ghure asi…”. Rumi was startled. He thought—why has this song been played several times today? Surely some accident has happened somewhere. With heavy hearts, everyone went to sleep—father Sharif Imam, mother Jahanara Imam, younger brother Jami, Rumi and a few others.