Doesn't Rachi's death make us guilty?

 

Afsana Karim Rachi began her university life with a heart full of dreams after passing a rigorous entrance exam. She was a student of the 53rd batch of the Marketing Department. Classes had started barely a month ago when tragedy struck. While walking on her own campus, a battery-powered rickshaw hit her with great force, throwing her onto the road. She suffered severe injuries to her head and face and lost her life. This incident occurred on the evening of November 19.

Rachi was walking along one side of the road near the Arts Building on the Jahangirnagar University campus when the rickshaw struck her. The collision threw her onto the road, causing fatal injuries. Along with her life, countless dreams and aspirations also met their end.

Can such a death simply be called an accident? How can vehicles operate recklessly within an educational institution's campus?

This is not the first time such an incident has occurred. Many students have previously lost their lives due to vehicular collisions on the roads of various educational institutions. Yet, apart from token administrative actions, no effective measures have been taken to control such accidents.

Are such incidents truly unavoidable? In any civilized country, strict laws regulate vehicle speed near educational institutions, with harsh penalties for violators. Within campuses, vehicle speed and routes are expected to be strictly controlled. While such laws may exist in our country, no one seems to follow them.

What is even more disheartening is the growing lack of concern and recklessness among us. The rickshaw driver who hit Rachi did not stop. The passenger in that rickshaw did not stop either. Whether someone lived or died seemed to matter very little to them. When the slightest sense of humanity vanishes, no law in the world can prevent such incidents. All that remains is to blame fate.

If we must rely on sheer luck to ensure the bare minimum safety for walking within educational institutions, can they even be called educational institutions? And if we do consider them institutions, are their responsibilities being fulfilled properly?

Does Rachi’s death not make our institutions culpable?

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21 November 2024