The murder of Comilla Victoria College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu last Sunday, sent shockwaves around the nation.
Tonu, a history student and theatre activist, had been returning home from work when she was raped and killed very close to her house inside Comilla’s Maynamati Cantonment.
It is right that people are asking how this could have taken place within such a prominent public area.
Students and people from all walks of life have been demonstrating in Comilla and Dhaka for the perpetrators to be caught and punished. The reportedly slow response of local police in investigating her murder understandably raised huge public concern.
As a result, the Detective Branch took charge of the case to speed up investigations, and is receiving support from RAB. The home minister is right to promise all necessary support to solve the murder.
It is vital the police nationally respond by improving procedures and practices to build public confidence. They need to both do their job better and be seen to be taking more steps to improve public security.
Everybody has a right to walk around any public space without feeling unsafe.
The brutal truth is that this is still far from the case and that not every murder receives the same amount of public attention. Moreover, it is also clear that violence against women runs at very high levels in our society and that a large number of rapes are never officially reported.
The police need to do more to play their part in investigating and preventing violent crimes to ensure our streets are safe for all citizens.
It is the prime duty of government and law enforcers to protect the public.