Offer good examples and better future for the young ones: Police action is not enough

EXTORTING money ahead of Eid from bus terminals or train stations is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh. It’s mostly the youth who indulge themselves in obtaining money by threat, but the question is why do they have to do it? And the answer to that is: the state under responsible leadership has to accept that it has failed to play its role by way of not setting good examples or offering better future to our younger generations. Our political parties recruit university students to be used as musclemen allowing protection to the extortionists. At state level corruption is widespread and well protected. The young ones see that crime is the best way to live well.From news reports and photos, it may appear, as if the extortionists are wayward, misled and a reckless group of adolescents, but in reality those who demand money by threat, can only be considered as the waning surface of a deteriorating society. Of a society where the godfathers, defaulters, corrupt politicians and criminal masterminds behind the facade of well-placed national public figures roam scot-free. It’s true that followed by the growing number of unemployment rate extortion and related activities have increased alarmingly during the festive seasons, but simultaneously the mentors of our society have failed to address the gaps behind this immoral trend. According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority statistics in 2012, there were approximately 1,47,000 vehicles that comprised of buses, minibuses and trucks in the country and by now we assume it to be within the range of 175,000 at least. Justifiably, the volume of squeezing money has gone up too. What’s interesting here is that like regular extortionists, highway police besides the city corporation officials are collecting additional extortion money. Because money collected without services is nothing but extortion at state level. So why so much fusses when some under-aged young ones sold some railway tickets in the black market. Their photos were allowed to be taken with “brave police” who have arrested them for showing in the media. Most likely they will also be sent to jail for a term. But no consideration was shown about the damage being done to their future prospects. They have been shown as criminals before it has been proved that the right ones were arrested. Besides, considering their young age such pictures would not have been shown in many other countries if they were the guilty ones. They have been demonstrated publicly as criminals so their shame has also gone. At the same time those who stole thousands of crore takas move freely showing power and arrogance.We forget that in a free country children are the nation’s future and their welfare is not only the responsibility of their families but of the state also. By criminalizing the whole society, we are not setting good examples for the young ones to follow. The need of the hour is to realize that the rot is not at the bottom but at the top.