To that end, the recent report of a police constable’s harassment and attempted physical abuse of an unsuspecting pedestrian, for not conforming to the constable's own retrograde views of what makes for Bangladeshi culture, sheds further light on just how deep bigotry still runs within our society.
That it was committed by a public servant only makes it all the more insidious and speaks to the rampant abuse of power in our institutions.
According to reports, the victim -- a lecturer of theatre and media studies at Tejgaon College -- was simply passing by on the streets when a policeman sitting on a parked motorbike accosted her for wearing a teep on her forehead, which then escalated to the law enforcer hurling abusive language at her and, at one point, even trying to run her over with his motorbike.
The teep has always been symbolic of what it means to be a Bangali -- and by extension a Bangladeshi – transcending faith and even gender identities.
This incident needs to be called out for what it actually was: Criminal behaviour cloaked under a uniform.
While the suspect has been apprehended and taken into custody, there is ample reason to believe that this was not an isolated incident, just one that was promptly reported and investigated. It is within the bounds of reason to believe that, had there not been a public uproar, the complaint would have been swept under the rug as one of many other incidents where women were harassed for how they dressed.
We sincerely hope that the apprehension of the constable sends out a strong message to those who still hold discredited views of what it means to be a Bangladeshi. The only crime involved in this incident was that of bigotry, nothing else.
