We are outraged at the alleged gang-rape of a woman by an OC and other policemen at the Khulna Railway Station on August 2. From what we learned from reports that have emerged since, the accused allegedly have committed the crime in a very organised manner: detaining the woman inside a train, forcing her to disembark from there and taking her to the police station only to rape her. What is more, the alleged rapists even filed a case against the victim for possessing five bottles of Phensedyl reportedly to cover up their crime.

We are left surprised and confused by the expatriates’ welfare minister’s suggestion that the police not record cases under the Anti-trafficking Act against recruiting agents should workers, sent abroad with proper documents, fall victim to trafficking. The rationale behind this suggestion stems from the fact that the Anti-trafficking Act carries harsher punishment (up to death penalty).

A news report that was published in the front page of a leading Bangla newspaper on August 6 gives us pause to think about the flagrant way in which money is spent by the Election Commission (EC). EC records show that each commissioner has given 520 speeches in 18 days, which translates into 14 public speeches every day—a feat that is not possible for any human being!

In an unprecedented but not quite unexpected move, the BJP government has scrapped the 70-year-old Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that had accorded a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). In fact, this was one of the points in the BJP election manifesto in the last general election which it has followed through on. But not only that, the BJP government has also bifurcated the state into two with J&K and Ladakh becoming Union Territories, the latter coming under the direct rule of New Delhi.

Following the signing of the CHT Peace Accord in 1997 between the then government and Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti, the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission was formed in 1999 in line with the accord. However, it is extremely unfortunate that two decades after its formation, the commission has not been able to solve a single land dispute, even as the complaints keep piling up. Around 22,000 complaints have been filed with the commission since 1999, but the commission remains ineffective due to a variety of reasons—primary among them being the lack of a set of rules and regulations needed for the commission to do its job.

A recent study has revealed that some 53.8 lakh jobs will be lost within the next two decades because of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”. According to the study, five specialised industries—garment, food and agriculture, furniture, tourism and hospitality, and leather and footwear—will be at risk because of the adoption of new technologies. And of the five sectors, garment will be the worst hit, with as many as 27 lakh jobs likely vanishing by 2041. Such predictions are worrying since we do not seem to be prepared to face the challenges of technological advancement. So determining how we would respond to these new challenges is of crucial importance.

It seems that the matter of public safety features very low on the list of priorities of various ministries and their subordinate agencies.

Courts in our country continue to struggle with a huge backlog of cases. And many cases filed under some special laws involving rape

Yet again, blood was spilled on the roads. And yet again, there were unfortunate deaths and injuries thanks to unruly driving. According to a report by The Daily Star on Saturday, eleven people died in road accidents in different parts of the country within the space of a day.

Fifteen hundred fisher folks living in the vicinity of the Dhaleshwari River have had to change their profession. Some have become day labourers, others rickshaw pullers. Because, the river is no longer capable of sustaining marine life. Authorities forced the tannery

Three workers died while three others suffered injuries upon inhaling toxic gas at a shipbreaking yard in Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila on July 31.

It is heartening to see the finance minister getting tough with the Basic Bank.

Much of the discordant note that one witnesses in society today is due to a lack of tolerance, mores and values.

As this newspaper reported yesterday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that around 7.6 million people who have been affected by flood are at risk of hunger and disease.

A government committee has found a general lack in discipline when it comes to the hiring of employees by the country’s municipalities.

The dengue epidemic in the country has gripped everyone by fear. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a record 1,845 patients outside Dhaka were diagnosed with the viral disease on July 30.

We express our horror and extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family of Titash Ghosh who died on a ferry that was kept waiting at Kathalbari terminal in Madaripur for a government official on July 24.

In an ironic turn of events during last year’s road safety movement, many of the students who took to the streets were implicated in vandalism cases, whereas no steps have been taken against those who attacked the peaceful protesters with sharp weapons.

The charge sheet submitted by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) on Sunday, more than two and a half years after the horrific attacks against members of the Santal community in Gaibandha’s Gobindaganj upazila, seems to have made a glaring omission.

It is very unfortunate that little has been done by the government agencies to make our roads safe during the last one year, despite