Nipping the rising tide of radicalism in Bangladesh—time for extreme vigilance and robust action

In a shocking and most bizarre incident in capital Dhaka a few days ago, a Hindu woman wearing a red dot (teep or bindi) on her forehead was belligerently questioned by a low-level police man insinuating that it was not on when Ramzan was in progress.

The diehard communal cop then tried to run over the woman teacher under his motorbike to vent his ire. Kudos to the courage of the victim for she counter questioned the policemen and boldly filed a FIR. She also went to the media to highlight her affront. It worked to stir public opinion, shaking up the dormant activists from their inertia and slumber.

The policeman’s conduct is most condemnable as it shows a good section of law enforcing agencies are not only bent upon imposing moral policing with their own personal agendas but are also fiercely radicalized through tenets of their religion to exhibit a shameful intolerance towards a minority faith. This incident has evoked wide criticism in Bangladesh and as a mark of solidarity and resolve, several progressive women started wearing the dots on their foreheads. It would seem that the cop, oblivious of his misbehavior and stark indiscretion, didn’t realise that his action would boomerang so badly that the entire print and electronic media would rally behind the Hindu teacher.

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