Law maker or law breaker !

A COLLEGE teacher was allegedly stripped off his clothes by associates and followers of the former state minister for health Mozibur Rahman Fakir (currently an MP) at Kaltapara of Gauripur Upazila in Mymensingh on Sunday. Mymensingh Muminunnesa College Islamic History Assistant Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed, 59, was tortured and his clothes were taken off as he criticised the activities of the junior minister, witnesses said, as reported by a local daily on June 23rd.Locals said that the 20-25 followers of Mozibur, now the lawmaker from Mymensingh-3, and activists of the ruling Awami League intercepted Farid’s motorbike near the spinning mill at Kaltapara at about 3:00pm, when he was returning home. They forced him to get down from the motorbike and later on aides of the state minister tortured him and stripped off his clothes.Farid, also former Gauripur unit Awami League secretary, was then confined at the political office of Mozibur.The college teacher alleged that he was dishonoured and tortured as he criticised the misdeeds of Mozibur Rahman. The Awami League men also snatched away Tk 11,000 from his pocket, he alleged. He alleged that the former junior minister was taking money from different educational institutions in the name of appointing teachers. Gauripur police officer-in-charge Mohammad Ali said that there was a bit of scuffle, but the allegation of stripping off clothes was not true.It is indeed a tragic state of affairs that a lawmaker’s henchmen can attack a member of the ruling party who held an important post in the recent past simply for telling the truth —as the professor alleges was the case. It is not unbelievable that persons who have power to take bribes for appointments. Whether this was the case here should be investigated. Even if it was not true it does not justify the beating up of a respected member of society who should be respected and not beaten for airing his views on the wrongs of society.It is our viewpoint that the matter be thoroughly investigated and the culprits be brought to book – along with the real masterminds who gave the orders behind the scenes. The innocent must not be brought to judgement by the guilty —even if people have committed heinous crimes they deserve the protection of the law until their guilt is firmly proved. The lawmakers must not become the lawbreakers and take matters into their own hands — no matter what the outcome. Unfortunately laws are more honoured in the breach than in the observance.