torture and the role of the media in Cox's Bazar: Strong protest

torture and the role of the media in Cox's Bazar: Strong protest

National Desk :    |    ০৩:১০ পিএম, ২০২৫-০২-২৭

Rashedul Islam Rashed : The recent incident of a young man being killed by the Air Force in Samiti Para and Kutubdia Para of Cox's Bazar has created strong anger across the country. The name of the deceased young man is Shihab, who is the son of Nasir Uddin, a respected teacher in Cox's Bazar. His death has saddened not only the family but also the entire Cox's Bazar. But the biggest thing is that the huge gap that has emerged between the people of Cox's Bazar and the media immediately after this murder raises deep questions about the country's democratic spirit and good governance. Playing with the lives of residents: The hidden reality Samiti Para and Kutubdia Para of Cox's Bazar were established about 50 years ago. For several years, the residents lived a peaceful life here. But after the construction of the Air Force base, the life of the locals became impossible. About twenty years ago, the government allocated land for the Air Force and then the work of expanding their base began. But due to the successive evictions and lack of housing, the people living here are being forced to live inhumane lives. Even though the Air Force wanted to expand their base, it did not provide alternative places to the local residents, but rather gradually repressed them. For many years, the locals have applied to the government for land settlement, but their applications have been ignored. The fear of eviction and the land crisis made their lives anxious. In such a situation, the local residents went to the District Administrator's office and made a strong demand to reconsider their application. Origin of the incident: Torture and tension of the youth The incident began when a group of young people led by a local youth, Zahed, set out for the city to submit a memorandum to the District Administrator. The Air Force members detained them and took Zahed to the base and tortured him. The brutal torture that was inflicted on him is never acceptable. At that time, he was threatened with death, saying that if a few young men like him were destroyed, no one would be able to do anything. As soon as this news spread, angry locals gathered in front of the base. They demanded Zahed's release. When the argument started, the situation became heated and the Air Force members started firing on them. In this, a young man named Shihab was killed and at least five people were seriously injured. But the most terrible thing is that after this murder, the Air Force showed its strength and prevented the media from going to the scene. The role of ISPR and the media: Hiding the truth After this incident, the ISPR (the official PR agency of the Bangladesh Air Force) issued a statement calling the situation 'rogue'. This created a misconception that a direct attack was being carried out on the local people.

But the ISPR statement was one-sided and concealed the truth. When these incidents were happening, local journalists in Cox's Bazar were stopped when they tried to observe the incident and collect primary information and could not publish any kind of report. The role of the media is very important in the right to information, but unfortunately most of the media in Bangladesh have relied on the ISPR's press notes, which is unacceptable. When the freedom of the media is under threat, the way to reach the truth to the people is also narrowed. Air Force Torture: Abuse of Power Against Public Interest This is the question that arises, why was so much atrocity committed against the local people? Why did the Air Force deprive them of their land rights? Why even such a violent attitude towards them? On the one hand, the general public was peacefully agitating to get their rights back, on the other hand, the Air Force used excessive force to suppress their protest. In this situation, we demand from the government authorities that this murder be brought to justice. If the Air Force, instead of showing sympathy to those who were desperate to voice their demands, shows such force, the consequences could be dire. Such inhuman attacks on the people are in no way justifiable. The incidents that have taken place in Samiti Para and Kutubdia Para in Cox's Bazar, which stand for truth, make us all think deeply. The government must take immediate and effective measures to protect the human rights of the people and ensure their safety. We must all stand together to protest the atrocities of the Air Force and protect the rights of the local people. Only then will we be able to get rid of this kind of violence and establish a safe and just society.