Justice served? || The Herald

THE HERALD

Preparing the future for journalism, since 2076.

16th of March, 2100.

MICRO HEADLINES

• Petrochemicals boom, plastic bangles see a rise;
• East Indian bridge championship ends, Federated East Bengal and South Burma draw in final, both declared joint winners, while Special Territories finishes 3rd, and top of leaderboard;
• Three hanged on charges of manufacturing p**n;
• Affiliation with religion increases, irreligion declines;
• Chittagong, Kolkata, Dhaka, Rangoon and Phuket agree to a co-operation agreement, agree to keep aside differences;

WAS JUSTICE SERVED TO RAHEMA?

Dhaka riots had just one death, it was enough to shake up the whole city. Dhaka didn't have any major riot in the last fifty years, despite the Balkanisation and all the political turmoil. However, this riot, and the only dead person, Rahema Khatun, was enough to anger everyone in Dhaka.

Rahema was a college student, and a GEIshare (basically East Indian youtube) creator, who made various videos regarding urban planning and transportation, which were also her subjects in college and topics she loved a lot. She had constantly posted about the need to create more public transportation in her city, Dhaka, and voiced against the supposed discrimination that is on to cities like Dhaka and Rangoon in her videos too.

Thus, when ADTU organised a demonstration, she encouraged many to join it. She told this in her community post:

"Greetings fellow viewers, I, Rahema, request you all to join this demonstration for improvement of lives in our city. Imagine the good that could be done if we made better transport: people could travel more areas more cheaply, the old and the new Dhakas would be connected, better transportation would mean better jobs a person could seek, and it would also reduce pollution. Personally, me, I take a ferry, then take two taxis, and then travel by a hand-held Rishkaw just to reach my college, which is in the city centre. By then, it makes no sense to travel by tram. Is transport made to serve as a piece of show? What is the benefit if I, you, everyone doesn't get access to it? My neighbour had to quit her job because it was becoming tiring at a point to take ferries, taxis, crowded buses to just reach central Dhaka, and then follow the same way while returning.

I request you all to join this demonstration in Dhaka, so that we can bring change to Dhaka. Thanks."

However, on the fateful night, some armed people hit her with steel batons, and injured her till she started bleeding. Although she could be saved, the tear gas, the stone pelting and the chaos made things so difficult, that she was found dead the time paramedics had arrived.

On her final rites, all of Dhaka came to a stop. It is reported that over two million people came on streets pay her respects for a final time. The corporator of her ward, who was a CPI member, when came to pay respects to her, was blackfaced by other people, who blamed the communists for her death. "The only respect that can be given to her would be to get her murderers shot to death". The corporator reported said "I am ashamed of whatever our party did." She didn't allow any press meetings after that.

Regional President, Ms. Metharom organised a press conference, where she promised of immediate action. "I am ashamed of whatever happened. The complete politburo of Dhaka Communist Party will be suspended for life. And the murderers, they will be hanged."

In 3 days, the murderers were presented to court, and all four were publicly hanged. "It is ironic that the inefficient CPI did some work so quickly.", the ISC president Shekhar Upadhyay said. 

However, in the elections of the seven Municipal corporations, thirteen Municipal councils and twenty city councils, CPI still lost most of them. CPI only won in two Municipal Corporations, three Municipal Councils and lost all city councils. The new president of Dhaka CPI comittee responded to us: "We deserved to lose. Our past politburo was too arrogant."

It is to be noted that the murders were not related to CPI, and were among some gangs in Old Dhaka, who disliked Rahema for her supposedly 'Anti Old-Dhaka stance' as told to our journalist before their hanging. "Good they were hanged. They were a nuiscance who regularly caused problems in our town. They would regularly murder, hurt and beat people." said a resident.

The Dhaka Cableway resolution, 2100, was accepted by unanimous support. It allocated almost 4 Billion OBD without any conditions to Dhaka for a new cableway network in Dhaka. All of that will be built with assistance from Chittagong Cablebus Company and Calcutta Tramway Company (East India). Most, however, still question if justice was served to Rahema. 

"We are always discriminated against. We can't stand for each other ourselves in times of need. Today, if everything went properly, no life would have been lost. If our children can't be safe, how will we get better? Why did it take a death, a riot and protests to 'donate' us some money for our improvement? Ever thought of what Rahema's parents will do now? Their only daughter is no more. Is this what they deserved? Will it take a thousand deaths just for our lives to improve? This is not just unfortunate. This is a sad reality for us..." Said a resident of Rahema's colony.

END OF THE BULLETIN