There are few incidents in recent history that are as brutal and unexpected as the Bangladesh Rifles revolt, staged on February 25 and 26, 2009, 14 years ago.
74 people had lost their lives during that violent and seditious act; 74 brave souls who had pledged their unwavering support towards the forward march of this country.
As Bangladesh makes massive strides in becoming the oasis of Asia -- an economic and developmental powerhouse -- we would do well to take a moment out of our busy lives and remember our fallen comrades.
Furthermore, we have to make sure that we do everything possible to ensure that their sacrifice has not gone in vain. This means not only making the country safe for our brothers in arms, but for the general populace as a whole.
Regrettably, this has not been the case. Security issues within the country are at an all-time high, with institutions like the University of Dhaka turning into a hotspot for both assault and mugging. Recent events have also exposed the flaws in our justice system, as the number of pending cases in situations like this just seems to increase.
This is the kind of atmosphere that gives rise to acts as bloody as the Bangladesh Rifles revolt. Bangladesh has already suffered from too much bloodshed within its tiny span of existence.
This cannot continue.
We can no longer be reactive toward crime and suffering; we need to be proactive. Intersectional bodies comprising sociologists, economists, etc have to be set up to identify the underlying causes of violence. Their progress has to be periodically assessed by independent auditing bodies, and course corrections have to be made when necessary.
To reiterate, 74 brave souls lost their lives within the borders of the country they pledged their lives to. We owe it to them to make sure something like this never happens again.
