A teenager named Lamiya was talking to her brother-in-law on the cellphone, standing in the yard of their house. Her uncle Harun Mina called out to her to lower her voice and to move away.
Without paying heed to her uncle, Lamiya stayed where she was and went on speaking on the phone. At one point Harun came out of his room and an argument broke out between the uncle and niece.
Taking her daughter’s side, Lamiya’s mother Beauty Begum joined the argument against her husband’s elder brother. Being infuriated with this, Harun took a knife and slaughtered his niece Lamiya and her mother.
Police arrested Harun later and he’s behind the bars now. This murder took place in Durgapur village under Jalalabad union of Gopalganj Sadar upazila on this 19 February.
Such murders are taking place in context of seemingly minor grievances and disputes. After analysing reports of 79 murders published on Prothom Alo in the last three months (January to March), it has been found that at least 15 of the murders have occurred based on trivial reasons.
Commenting on these murders, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)’s additional commissioner (crime and ops) Kh Mahid told Prothom Alo that people are becoming intolerant with trivial incidents due to excessive use of social media.
Overuse of social media is making people’s lives and thoughts aggressive. Humanity and love is decreasing for the loss of social values and balance. Incidents like murder are happening because of that, he added.
Reasons behind the murders
Analysis of the murder reports published in Prothom Alo during the last three months showed that the murders have happened in connection to 19 types of incidents.
The list of these incidents includes, talking loudly on the phone, not having a male heir, refusing to do furniture design, getting relief of paying alimony, protesting eve teasing, inability to repay debt, suspecting as robber, political conflict, extra marital affair, ransom, family dispute, disagreement over smuggling, demand of extortion, mental stress, torture from parents-in-law, smoking, land dispute, demanding money for drug abuse and trivial or major dispute between the so called teen gangs.
Police arrested father Imran Ahmed on allegation of killing his daughter by throwing her off of a truck into a river in Habiganj’s Baniachong on 7 February. According to police sources, he has given confessional statement before the court saying that he killed his daughter to get rid of paying Tk 2,000 monthly allowance.
In February, a teenage boy slaughtered his father Abdus Samad Ali in Sakhipur upazila of Tangail. Police said that the boy had asked his mother for drug money. Without finding money from his mother, he was wandering around with a machete to kill her.
Fearing for her life, the mother had fled the house. Later when the father arrived home, the son hacked him to death. Police arrested the son in connection to this murder. For being aged less than 18 years, he was sent to juvenile correction centre.
In the same month, a mother killed her own child in Ramballav village under Betagi Sankipur union of Patuakhali. Allegedly, she was assisted by the child’s paternal uncle. Police says, both the accused have given confessional statement at the court that they committed the murder just to frame their opposition in context of a land-related dispute.
A report from the human rights organisation, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) states that three women have been killed after rape in three months (January to March) while, five women have been killed from torture for dowry. Apart from that, 23 people have been killed in political violence. Total 35 people have died in jail custody while 17 have been killed in mob lynching.
Associate professor at the institute of social welfare and research of Dhaka University, Tawohidul Haque told Prothom Alo that the murders happening recently only showcase the ongoing fragility of social relations within the society.
People are getting angry for trivial reasons and snatching others’ rights besides hurting, killing or inflicting psychological pain on them. People today are too influenced by personal interests and motives instead of giving importance to the scope and significance of human relationships, he added.
Tawohidul also said, whereas the issues can be solved through mutual amity and social fraternity, an environment of terror is being created through murders, unrest, attacks, lawsuits and so on, which is unhealthy and terrible for all.