HEIGHT OF INHUMANITY

A Facebook post chilled me to the bone. It was a news story of 13-year-old Rajon who was beaten mercilessly by a group of men until he succumbed to his injuries. He was accused of theft, an allegation that may or may not be true. Even if it was, it is unfathomable how anyone could resort to such cruelty, that too, on a child. 

But there was more. A 28 minute video clip of the entire crime had been shared on the social media website by one of the murderers. What was this – a form of exhibitionism of their sadistic inclinations? 

Very few people will be able to watch the entire video of this child's brutal torture and murder by a group of sadistic beasts. I didn't even try to. But even reading about the barbaric way Sheikh Md Samiul Alam Rajon, a small boy, was tied up to a pole and beaten mercilessly to death, makes one sick to the stomach. At one point the child begged them to stop, crying out that his bones would break but the vile murderers only laughed, and continued with their torture. When he asked for some water, they sarcastically told him to drink his own sweat. Later when the child died of his injuries, they tried to dump the body in a secluded area. What kind of perversion of the mind turns a person into an inhuman beast? What kind of society have we created that we allow such barbarous things to happen to children, to women, to the physically or mentally disabled, to anyone who is in a position of powerlessness?

The child was accused of stealing and the three or four adults decided to 'punish' him. We do not know whether Rajon had in fact stolen anything, it does not really matter. That a child was tortured and killed in such a savage manner is what should be of concern. It reflects for one thing, that people in our society are losing their ability to feel empathy for a fellow human being. It is seen when angry mobs beat up and kill an alleged thief or mugger or kidnapper, without any qualms or even verifying whether or not the allegation is true. It is seen when a minor girl is gang raped by local mastaans, when a thwarted wooer pours acid on a girl's face just because she refused his proposal, when a child domestic worker is burnt with a hot spatula and when a group of perverts pounce on women and girls at a Pahela Baishakh festival. 

We are becoming increasingly brutalised, insensitive, apathetic and nonchalant about the human rights abuses. Everyday a story of violent crime is in the news. So are we becoming a violent, unscrupulous nation that cannot protect its most vulnerable citizens? 

Ultimately, it is the state's sincerity and determination to punish these vicious crimes that will act as the strongest deterrent. Many such sadistic criminals go scot free after committing their diabolical acts – because of loopholes in the system where absolution can be bought or attained through influence. Torture is also common practice in our society and often those holding positions of some power are involved in inflicting it. It is common knowledge that individuals in custody often are put through terrifying torture to extract information or for extortion. This only reinforces the idea that inflicting physical pain on a person, even a child, to teach them a lesson, is acceptable.

It will be hard to forget Rajon's face in that picture where he is begging for mercy. It will be impossible not to remember how brutally his life was snuffed out. Let us not push out that image of a tied up child, desperately crying for his life, until his assailants are all captured and handed out the highest form of punishment. Being a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child means little if we, as a nation, do not do everything in our power to stop such cruelty to our most precious citizens. 

The writer is Deputy Editor, Op-Ed and Editorial, The Daily Star.