What’s the significance of the photo of an under-construction government building published on the last page of Prothom Alo on 18 April? After all, a lot of government buildings are being constructed while many are being renovated in the regime of Awami League.
However pictures of those buildings aren’t published in the newspapers. The significance of this photo being published is that local residents recognise the building as the ‘torture cell of Nishan group (Golam Rasul alias Nishan)’.
Although this torture cell was established way earlier, it recently came to limelight after the incident of a physician being killed by the teen gang. When the physician’s college student son Ali Reza had gone to buy iftar items on 5 April, about 15 to 20 men came out of the under-construction building of National Housing Authority and attacked him with sticks.
Hearing the news, his father the physician hurried there. He suffered a serious head injury and died on 10 April while undergoing treatment. Nishan group was angry with Ali Reza for he had reported police about the activities of the teen gang members.
Followers of local Jubo League leader Golam Rasul are actually the members of this teen gang. In this incident, a case had been filed with the police station mentioning 12 names including Golam Rasul. However, only three of them have been arrested so far while the rest of them including gang leader Golam Rasul are safely out of reach.
What’s the source of Golam Rasul’s power? The source is that he is the former vice president of Chittagong University Chhatra League Unit and the follower of former Chittagong City Corporation mayor AJM Nasir Uddiin. There are seven cases filed against Golam Rasul on murder, extortion and fighting charges.
Police reported that at least 200 teen gangs are active in Chattogram city. There are five to fifteen members in each of these gangs. According to police records the number members these gangs across the city has is at least 1,400.
Police say that 64 ‘big brothers’ including the councilor of Chittagong city corporation’s ward no. 5 are promoting and patronising the teen gangs. Police reported that the teen gangs have been involved in 548 criminal activities in the last six years. There have been 34 murder incidents among them.
Recently, in a meeting of the law and order committee, deputy commissioner Abul Basahar Mohammed Fakhruzzaman also admitted that no one’s spared by the teen gangs including innocent people, physicians, businessmen or teachers. He has spoken of bringing not only the teen gangs but also their godfathers to justice.
While 200 teen gangs sprouted up in a city, there’s no such noticeable activity on the part of the law and order enforcement agencies. They only get concerned when there’s a mishap.
Not just the law and order enforcement forces but the local public representatives are also supposed to have responsibilities in this regard. But will they perform their duties? When many local representatives or councilors themselves are accused of patronising teen gangs, what can be expected from them?
Local residents cannot protest out of fear. Many guardians are even worried to send their children to school. Meanwhile Ali Reza, the son of the physician murdered by the teen gang, is being intimidated already. Ali Reza has also sought security from the law enforcement agencies in this regard.
Yet the law enforcement forces are unable to locate the masterminds of the teen gangs. That’s unbelievable. Already, two persons had to die at the hands of Nishan group members. How many more lives have to be lost before the law enforcement forces come to their senses?