Editorial
Do you know who I am?
That itchy syndrome
The haughty display of connection allegedly by the son of a ruling party lawmaker on Manik Mian Avenue on Wednesday would not have most probably made news had it been just a wordy affair. To the misfortune of all concerned, it went physical. Badmouthing topped off by spewing out of how well-connected one is, to be having a claim to immunity before law, has become customary with people or progeny having a feel of power in their veins. Normally, what one has got accustomed to hearing wouldn't be news material per se, but would irresistibly be so, if the person at the receiving end of verbal insults had been physically hurt as well. In that case, it would actually be doubly outrageous. All that the policemen on duty at Manik Mia Avenue did when the Jessore MP's son overshot the red signal was to ask him why he defied it. Far from being sorry, the young man was to return to the spot 15 minutes later with two car-loads of 'friends', snatched the policeman's lathi to beat him up with a head injury. The law seemed violated at several points: first, the traffic signal was ignored; second, the policeman who was only doing his duty got manhandled; and thirdly, the defiance had a negative demonstrative effect on the on-looking public. Public confidence in law dwindles from such display of haughtiness which could be infective as well. It will, therefore, be in public interest as well as in the interest of the ruling party's image to probe the incident, hold the responsible into account and prevent it happening again. Respect for law and equality before law are the stuffs of which civilised societies are made. In Britain should a member of the Royal family be found on the wrong side of the law he or she has to account for it like any commoner. The same goes for other Royal families of long lineage. There are plenty of examples in other countries where siblings or progeny of highly placed people had to bow before supremacy of law. When shall we learn?
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