With more and more reports of the brutal and coldblooded murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi appearing in the media, the depth of the odious link between the politically powerful and the law enforcers is being exposed. There cannot be a worse situation than when those entrusted and paid with public money to enforce the law, choose to violate the law in collusion with the wrongdoer(s) in the most contemptible manner to protect a person. In this case, the latter happens to be the head of the institution that Nusrat studied in and who was behind bars for allegedly sexually harassing her.

We wouldn't be remiss in suggesting that the killing of Nusrat is a fairly good representative of the order of things that prevail in the country insofar as law and order is concerned. The sorrowful account of events that led to her death is a common narrative related to instances of similar breach of law that appear in the news with very alarming regularity. And in many cases, the nexus involves the alleged criminal, his political mentor, and the police as in this case, who believe that grovelling to the ruling party is the only way to advance one's career.

We feel that this is the time to bring in reform in the police that is long overdue. So long as the law enforcers think that their job depends on patronage of the powerful, deliberate violation of the law by the police will become the norm rather than the exception. We are surprised to see the shoddy oversight, if there is any oversight at all, exercised by the police hierarchy that allowed the OC of Sonagazi to trample the law in so many ways. We also feel that it is time to consider whether the madrasas are being run as they should be, and whether or not there is need for urgent reform in the system.