The nation won’t stand for assaults on women

People, especially women, will feel discouraged from attending Pohela Boishakh festivities, and this will only embolden the fundamentalists and weaken the government

There are no words strong enough to condemn the attack on women at TSC during the Pohela Boishakh celebrations.

It is pathetic that the miscreants took advantage of the overwhelming crowd to execute their cowardly act, that too, during one of the most important Bengali festivals.

It is one of those few days when all Bengalis come together to celebrate the Bengali New Year, and such an attack on this day is an assault on all of us. It is an attack on our unique traditions and customs that bind us all together as Bengalis.

Pohela Boishakh has come under attack many times as communal groups have tried to convince many about the “un-Islamic nature” of this festival. They have tried to mislead and divide us to further their own ambitions. But without success.

But this attack, again, threatens the freedoms we enjoy.

This growing trend of organised miscreants attacking women at festivals and fairs is absolutely unacceptable and unforgivable. The women are attacked because they are easy targets. Similar incidents were also reported at the last book fair and photographs of the assault flooded social media. But it does not seem like the people or the authorities are taking this seriously.

These incidents may seem unrelated and random, but their impact on the human mind is similar to that of a bombing in a public place. The fear is instilled in a similar way.

These are planned and deliberate attacks to discourage people, especially women, from participating in such events. The perpetrators even brutally attacked the people who came to the rescue of the women.

It is also a shameful reminder of how vulnerable women still are in our society and how our system, including an incompetent police force, allows these incidents to happen.

These perpetrators need to be identified immediately and subjected to the harshest punishment, making a statement that assault on women will not be tolerated, and that everyone is free to participate in social and public festivities.

Bangladeshis defy odds every day, and Pohela Boishakh is one of those days that brings us all together in the hopes of a bright new year. Strong action needs to be taken immediately to stop such barbaric attacks from ever putting a damper on public enthusiasm again.

It is natural that now people, especially women, will feel discouraged from attending Pohela Boishakh festivities, and this will only embolden the fundamentalists and weaken the government.

It will prove that they have succeeded in preventing us from celebrating our culture, our heritage, and our history.

Such incidents during public events have always brought disrepute for the reigning government and the host institutions. Bringing the perpetrators to justice will not only be good for all of us, but also for the government, the police force and the university authorities, since public faith and security shall be restored.

The sooner effective action is taken, the more applause the government and relevant authorities shall receive. The government needs to acknowledge that it is high time to stop sexual assaults and the victimisation of women for good.

Source: Dhaka Tribune