When a devastated, unfortunate father stands before the lifeless, blood-stained body of his innocent child and says, "I do not want justice for my child, because I won't get it"-we must understand that it is not just a child who has died. Rather, it is the conscience of a nation and the bare minimum humanitarian faith of a society that has been brutally murdered. On May 19, in Dhaka's Mirpur Pallabi, a tender-hearted, second-grade child named Ramisa was subjected to brutal torture, rape, and a barbaric murder at the hands of a monster.
This is no ordinary crime; it is the ultimate manifestation of our collective moral and humanitarian bankruptcy. At an age when her hands should have been holding colorful pencils, drawing sketchbooks, and dolls, she had to leave this cruel world forever, wrapped in a white shroud. The heartbreaking lamentation and utter despair of Ramisa's father place our entire society in the dock today. This disbelief of a father did not develop overnight or suddenly. The culture of impunity and prolonged legal delays in this country over the past years have left an ordinary citizen so helpless that he has lost even the courage to demand justice for his own flesh and blood.
Today, this brutal murder of Ramisa is floating like an open, burning wound across social media platforms in Bangladesh and around the world. Every conscientious human being across the globe stands stunned, outraged, and deeply traumatized by this incident. In this modern era of the internet, while the entire world weeps for Ramisa and the virtual space storms with protests, our hearts break to think: what kind of society are we building for our future generations? Every day, flipping through the newspapers or looking at the walls of social media makes one's skin crawl, and our eyes stain with the color of blood. A demonic festival of murder, mayhem, mugging, and rape seems to be raging all around us. The most horrifying, shameful, and painful aspect is that innocent, unprotected children are becoming the primary victims of this extreme cruelty.
Most of the children subjected to such barbaric abuse and rape are aged between 6 to 10 years, or even younger. This primitive and twisted euphoria of crushing innocent buds-who do not even understand the difference between good and bad, and who vanish into the abyss of darkness before their lives can bloom-cannot be the identity of any civilized nation. Such a hellish scenario is unimaginable in any welfare-oriented, progressive state.
Prime Minister Tareq Rahman rushed to the residence of Ramisa's grieving and heartbroken parents to console them. He was physically present to embrace the bereaved family, tried to wipe away their tears, and assured them of justice. At the same time, he strongly promised that the trial of this heinous crime would be completed within the shortest possible time and the perpetrator would be given the harshest punishment. The humanitarian presence and assurance from the highest level of the state may spark a glimmer of hope in the broken hearts of Ramisa's parents, but it cannot entirely erase the deep skepticism and long-accumulated mistrust embedded in the minds of the general public. This is because, in the past, the people of this country have heard many such words of hope and promises, only to see those assurances gather dust for years in the dark corridors of courts.
This long-term impunity, legal loopholes, and sluggish judicial processes essentially create a safe haven for criminals. When a murderer, rapist, or person with a demonic mindset sees that despite committing such a grave offense, they can roam around freely for years or escape through the patronage of influential circles, the audacity of other criminals multiplies.
Today, the sole reason behind the geometric rise in crime across the country is the lack of exemplary and visible punishment for criminals within the shortest possible time. If the rule of law remains confined only to paper, it cannot play any role in curbing criminals. If the trials of all these brutal and horrific murders could be completed swiftly through special tribunals, and if appropriate, maximum punishments were ensured publicly, no monster would ever dare to cast an evil eye on any child. The crime graph would instantly drop to zero, and peace and order would return to society.
Only the swift trial of this barbaric crime and the maximum punishment for the perpetrator can bring eternal peace to Ramisa's unappeased and aggrieved soul, and offer a soothing balm to the burning hearts of her grief-stricken parents. Let us not allow another Ramisa to wither away untimely. Let us free our beloved motherland from the dark culture of impunity and build a safe, beautiful, and humane Bangladesh for our children.
The Writer is Vice President, Chandina Press Club
