The killing of Sheikh Samiul Alam Rajon was not an isolated incident, but a part of a brutal process where the killers are never brought to justice, which happen due to the negligence of police authorities, speakers said at a press conference in the capital yesterday.
If the people of the country do not raise their voices in protest of such crimes, the senseless killing will continue, they said.
The press conference was organised demanding justice for Rajon by seven national and international NGOs under the banner of Child Rights Advocacy Coalition, held at National Press Club.
Among the attendees were Action Aid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir, Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) Executive Director AS Mahmood, Citizens for Good Governance Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder, legal expert Dr Shahdeen Malik, and other eminent personalities.
Rajon, 13, was brutally beaten by a group of men in Kumargaon, Sylhet and died from his injuries on July 8. The killers recorded the entire torture session and uploaded the video to the internet.
Speaking at the conference, Farah Kabir said a basic indicator of a civilised society is the protection of children.
Urging the government to ensure justice for Rajon, she said: “The killers should be taken to speedy trial and given exemplary punishment.”
She also urged the authorities concerned to remove the video from the internet.
Dr Shahdeen Malik said: “The killers’ enjoyment of the brutality is astounding. In the video, they keep inquiring whether the torture is being filmed properly … Such degradation of values is found only in a spoiled society.”
Badiul Alam said: ‘This incident proves that we have degraded to beasts … Such criminal incidents are happening due to the culture of impunity.”
AS Mahmood, asked the law enforcers to be sincere while investigating the case and submit a charge sheet without loopholes so that the criminals cannot get away.
Meanwhile, BSAF Chairman Emranul Haque Chowdhury in a press statement condemned the killing of Rajon and demanded exemplary punishment of the killers.
