Editorial
Death on the Buriganga
We need to be wary of such trips
The tragedy which occurred on the Buriganga on Friday leaves us all sad. The sadness is in the knowledge that quite a few people lost their lives in an accident that should not have occurred at all. As we understand it, a large group of picnickers, after what had clearly been a chaotic day involved in arguments and the like, reached Sadarghat in the late afternoon. It was just at that point that about twenty five persons entered the launch carrying the picnickers and went into a frenzy of violence that left at least four individuals dead and many others missing. A good number of these individuals simply jumped into the river to save themselves. A few others, worried about their safety, leapt on to the boats near the launch, which eventually overturned and added to the tragedy.A few rather pertinent questions arise from the whole sad incident. The first of these relates to the manner in which the picnic was organized by some individuals in the old part of Dhaka. Anyone interested in going on the picnic, which basically meant a river cruise, could do so on payment of about three hundred taka. The whole enterprise thus took on the shape of a business venture on the part of the organizers. As for those who paid up for the trip, it appears that not all of them were known to one another. In other words, it was a whole big group of about 200 people, mostly strangers, all going on a journey of pleasure. The second question revolves around the cause of the incident. There are reports that some stray remarks regarding some women in the group caused the flare-up. Yet other reports suggest that inebriation on the part of some in the large party led to the tragedy. And our third question relates to what role the Ansar guards on the launch may or may not have played in the whole sordid affair. A three-member probe body has been formed to look into the causes of the incident. That is a fine step, but what must now be ensured is that merry-making of this kind is not repeated. Of course the tragedy was an unforeseen one, but should the organizers have not been a little careful before planning out their programme?
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