Friday’s tragic incident at Laiska Beel of Brahmanbaria, where a sand-laden trawler collided into a passenger boat and left at least 22 dead, should never have happened. Yet, it did, and it was due to the sheer negligence and disregard displayed by a group of individuals who had no business being in charge of that trawler in the first place.
Firstly, kudos to the all the first responders who rushed to the spot upon receiving information and started the rescue operation. Without their timely action, the death toll could have been much higher.
However, it is entirely unacceptable that in this day and age, we continue to have such incidents which, once examined, are nothing but acts of criminal negligence. In fact, when such negligence results in the loss of dozens of human lives, it can be termed as nothing short of murder.
While it is good to see that the authorities concerned have already arrested some men who are connected to the incident, it is crucial that the families of those who have lost their lives get some modicum of justice, and these unscrupulous individuals who showed so little regard for human life are punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Moving forward, however, it is imperative that we eliminate such tragedies once and for all. Bangladesh loses too many lives to such cases of negligence, be they on our waters, highways, or rail tracks. The authorities concerned must to a better job of reining in those who continue these criminal acts of negligence with impunity, and take the necessary steps so that more innocent Bangladeshi lives are not lost.
