Where celebration fails to live up to expectation

It was an occasion deserved to be celebrated in a most befitting manner. But if the occasion was worth celebrating so, the celebration left much to be desired, particularly in the capital. The occasion where the nation had to celebrate the inclusion of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic March 7 Speech in the Memory of World International Register, a list of world's important documentary heritage, was marred by traffic chaos. Enthusiasts joining the rally were disappointed on account of traffic control (read chaos). It happened the other day also when the ruling party organised a similar function to mark the recognition of the speech by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Admittedly, the nation is not particularly reputed for organising big occasions in an orderly manner. Add to this, the overriding security concern. The law enforcement agencies have to be extra-cautious lest the militants take advantage of the unregulated streams of crowd. The issue of security has assumed far greater importance with attacks on crowded places in the West. Restrictions on people's and vehicles' movement had to be imposed in some areas of the city. But the entire city came to a standstill as a result.

Busloads of intending participants also had to halt at several city points where thousands of vehicles queued for moving ahead. But they were denied entry to the road leading to the Suhrawardy Uddyan where the main event took place. People have learnt to walk on days when traffic becomes dysfunctional. With their focus on vehicles of the VIPs, the traffic police and their counterparts in the regular service, at times behave crazily. They treat the public and transport workers disdainfully. They seem to be overworked under the pressure from dealing with the rush. At times they are not reluctant to using batons and sticks on vehicles, if not drivers, failing to respond to their instructions.

However, this raw deal turns many people angry because they also have urgent pieces of business. In a civilised society, such police-public equation cannot be thought of. Where does temper of members of law enforcement agencies get frayed? In an overcrowded city, they need further training to muster the art of regulating crowd or mob or there is every chance of a melee breaking out any time. This is not in anyone's interest. A celebration of this order exacts some price on people who face health or other emergencies. There is no provision for helping people in emergency. Disciplined forces must know the difference between overreaction and presence of mind and call in the routine formula of training to deal with a critical situation. It seems, the men in uniform here could not care less if the public were hurt --physically and mentally, because of their ill treatment.

It was a common people's occasion and mistreating them certainly robs some gloss of the celebration. Maybe, government employees or officers who had some compulsion to attend the function were not greatly disappointed on being stranded midway. But the same does not apply to other enthusiasts. The occasion could perhaps be regulated better if only there was a sense of purpose equal to the task.