Dhaka Diary

Slave girl
On March 26th, my spouse and I were going towards Purba Rampura (East Rampura). While moving through the main road we caught sight of a rickshaw. The rickshawala was pulling two ladies with two babies and a girl with them. The girl (perhaps the house maid was sitting where we put our feet on a Rickshaw. Both ladies looked educated and they were clearly enjoying their outing. Even though this is a very common sight, I could not help wondering as to why a sitting arrangement or another rickshaw could not be made for the girl. They seemed to have had purchased the girl and did not need any reason to show her any respect. I think its high time we think about the way our society runs.
Alo
Savar

The Corrupt Policemen
This incident took place a few days ago when I was on my way to my coaching centre. I was on a rickshaw and as we were crossing Road-27, near Drik Gallery, some men stopped the rickshaw. They had a piece of paper with them, so I assumed that they had lost their way and was looking for a house. But after they surrounded the rickshaw, I figured out that they were robbers! Smiling the whole time, they said that they wouldn't harm me if I paid them Tk.1000. I let them know that I was only a student, and didn't have that much money with me. In response to this, they snatched my cell phone, and ran away. I was dumfounded, but what surprised me most was that some policemen were standing nearby and when I narrated the event to them, instead of helping me, they started to blame me. They said that I shouldn't carry expensive cell phones with me and also said that I should never travel alone! It's a wonder how our forefathers fought for a country where citizens get robbed right under the noses of the so-called law enforcers.
Redwan Islam Orittro
Maple Leaf Int. School

Dangerous Practices
To reduce some weight, I recently began to walk in Ramna Park. There I noticed that some people were always sitting with a table and a chair with some medical instruments. They use them to check the blood pressure and sugar of the people who walked on a regular basis, especially older people trying to maintain their health. There is definitely nothing wrong with this, but the way it is done is absolutely wrong and I am sure they are not aware of it.
Firstly, they use the same needle to prick everyone's fingers, which they cannot sterilise in between the pricks. Instead of sterilising it, however, they just use a dab of alcohol to clean the needle. However, that can still spread blood borne diseases like Hepatitis B, C, HIV and many more. Secondly, there is a process of checking the blood pressure, which they do not seem to follow. Sometimes, monitoring BP in such a way can cause various kinds of disturbances in the body. The proper authorities should take a look at this as soon as possible.
Thanveer Hassan Jitu
Bokshibazar, Dhaka

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