Whether we admit it or not, the screech and cries for justice only seems to make headlines when there is a fatality. It reminds us of the stark realization that muscle power still dictates the course of many atrocious actions. The case of 23 year old Khadiza Akhter Nargis, an honours second-year student at Sylhet Government Women’s College, highlights this archaic ideology. She was hacked viciously by her alleged boyfriend, Badrul Alam, who is a student at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST).
With deep gashes on her skull, Khadiza is now hanging between the lines of life and death. This transcends beyond the shame of a society, it is a marker of our humanity and how such crimes still prevail today; the idea of justice just has not come through for the people it swears to serve. While the reasons for Badrul’s attack are still under speculation, it seems like a case of personal vendetta and male ego. Claims and evidence of the attacker’s political affiliations with the ruling party make the case even more sensitive and shameful.
It is deeply saddening to see how easy it is for girls and women to fall prey to malice and hurt without remorse. Reportedly, Badrul hacked her because of a trivial squabble they had recently. Does a spat justify the repeated blows he made on her? What does it say about our moral bone? What about the murder case of Tonu that never saw the light of justice? Had there been a trial for Tonu’s murder already, would it prevent what happened with Khadiza? We can only hope it would.
It already seems like the only way to get around this vicious cycle of malice is by cracking the whip when it comes to muscle power and calling perpetuators to book immediately.
While Khadiza is still under observation on life support, we pray for her recovery and that tragedies such as hers become a part of our past. As a society, we must bear the torch that sheds light against injustice.
Khadiza, the girl who was hacked in Sylhet, is all of us
