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The country has witnessed one of the horrific and tragic episodes marked by widespread violence claiming more than 200 lives and leaving thousands injured. Targeted destruction of public property by miscreants is deeply concerning. The unruly mob torched offices, buses and data centres and caused damage to the broadband internet service nationwide. They destroyed two metro rail stations, making the newly introduced efficient public transport system dysfunctional. The list does not end there.
The government's move to impose a countrywide curfew was also unavoidable to protect lives and public property. The cost is also high. Violence and subsequent quelling measures led to the disruption of supply chain and breakdown of the physical communication network. The internet blackout only made things worse. Very few could apprehend that a peaceful movement of the students to press home their demand for reforming the quota system in government jobs would finally turn so violent and cause colossal damage to life and property. Some evil forces have surely tried to fish in the muddy water.
The government has already started to take stock and estimate the cost of the damage. There is no denying that it is impossible to repair all the damages and make up for the losses. New buses would replace damaged ones, vandalised stations and data centres would be functional again. But lives lost are irreplaceable. Besides, expenditure for the repair of the damage would create additional pressure on the exchequer that is in a tight position.
The parents of the students, killed during the violence, will have to live with the trauma until the last days of their lives. Friends and fellows of the victims will have to bear with the ordeal for long. Families of the members of the law enforcement agencies who sacrificed their lives to restore law and order will continue to mourn for them.
Again, thousands of students who were on the street for a legitimate demand went through intimidation and threat and also witnessed the death of their comrades will be haunted by fear and disappointment for the rest of their lives. Their parents and guardians will also have to struggle with mental agonies for a long. There is also no guarantee that some of them will not be victimised for taking part in the movement. At least a few of them have allegedly been assaulted, and some are also facing threat from unknown sources. The law minister, however, repeatedly assured that the government would ensure security of the students.
Even many ordinary citizens, especially women, who cannot withstand incidents of brutality and violence, have become mentally sick during the period of the latest turbulence. All these things are beyond any compensation, and the cost is also unquantifiable. They are the collateral casualties of one of the most tragic incidents in the history of independent Bangladesh.
Mental or psychological trauma is largely overlooked in our society. Though there are some options for psychotherapies, these are not widely known. As students have to return to classrooms and resume their regular studies, it is necessary to bring them under psychotherapy to get rid of the horror haunting them. Though the big scars on their mind cannot be entirely removed, it can be minimised to some extent. Besides psychotherapy, it is also a must to ensure an intimidation-free environment at all educational institutions and dormitories. The authorities need to create as congenial a campus environment as is humanly possible. The residential rooms, dinning spaces and toilets at educational institutions should also be repaired immediately. Student politics may also be suspended at all the campuses for a couple of months. This is all the more necessary to ensure an academic environment free of intimidation and fear.