Kids Killed Humanity Haunted – Ifrith Islam

The afternoon was blessed with an awesome cool breeze which blew past me as I walked down the lane. The silky hair on my head became a small fright wig as I tried to brush them back with my fingers. The feeling of happiness was overwhelming and my pace didn’t falter.
I passed few buildings as some cars went by. Even though the cars were leaving through the quiet turbulence in which dust was obvious to inhale and I breathed some. Despite everything I was having quiet a great moment but who knew it wouldn’t last long.
The lane wasn’t that long but most of the residents knew each other and since I am a few-year-old resident here and got to know the people around for their incredible hospitality. The families here were large and the key to their laughter was the innocent children in the neighbourhood. In my family there is no child as most of my siblings were grown-ups. But I used to love every bit of this place and specially the children as they were the heart here.
While going ahead, I observed some lively children were playing hide-and-seek at the end of the lane where there is an abandoned and old building that was very old and as proof the walls were covered with green moss with some entangled parasitic plants forming a great mess like entwined noodles. The front yard got bushes but somehow an isle was there and somehow it led to the entrance of the old building. Overall it stood there with its head held high veiled by a vacant glory. The children use this place to play hide-and-seek.
Suddenly out of the blue, a black coloured van came to a halt and out came a completely covered person and reached for the nearest child, picked and threw him over the shoulder, got inside the van. It drove off.
While the incident was occurring, I stood there beyond my belief to react instantly. As soon as realized I ran after the van but it vanished round the corner.
As a female police officer I felt ashamed of the abduction that took place before my eyes. Soon after the incident I informed the nearby police station. It left a deep scar on my mind, leaving me to be resolute to work in the area of child abduction and killing. In response to my call the Officer-in-Charge of the police station said, ‘I am looking into the matter.’ I said to him, ‘OK but let me help you to look into the matter as I witnessed the incident.’ ‘You will just help the Detective Branch of Police which will oversee the case. I shall take the case personally.’ The next day my official leave was over and I joined the office. Leaving aside my regular duties I talked to my boss regarding the incident that hit headlines of the dailies of that day. I let my office know about my desire to work on the case. Initially some of my colleagues, who knew of my expertise in desk job, dissuade me to dare to expose the racketeers. I took up the challenge.
I started some file works prior to the investigation. I started looking into the case files at first, the crate that I took home for the weekend was organized alphabetically such as abuse, kidnapping, killing, paedophillia etc.
I read a news item from Bangladeshi English daily The Daily Star which reads—
“Based on newspapers’ reports, the BSAF said at least 191 children were killed till this July, 350 in 2014, 218 in 2013 and 209 in 2012.
The leading network of child rights organisation expressed concern, saying incidents of brutalities against children in different forms are increasing every year.  Over 1000 children were killed after brutal torture from 2012 till date.
Thirteen-year-old Samiul Alam Rajon was beaten to death in Sylhet last month; twelve-year-old Rakib was tortured to death in Khulna on August 3, as two men inserted a high-pressure air pump nozzle into his rectum; and 10-year-old Rabiul was beaten to death for “stealing fish” in Barguna.
Rajon, Rakib and Rabiul represent 1000 other children who are killed in this modern time of civilization.
I also read about a complaint about a babysitter who used to beat an eight old boy because the boy wouldn’t eat. And that she used to beat him in the daily process, as a result the little boy’s hand was damaged severely. Then there was another one, an unhappy parent with a child in their home almost lost him as the child tried to commit suicide and moreover, children are also abused by their relatives, teachers in so many ways.
This was only for the abused part….. Then there is the kidnappers. The goons and relatives abuse the innocent children, so active are the organ seller who are always on the prowl to victimise both the boys and girls to milk money. The abductors are very active nowadays and it is their job to abduct and demand a big amount of ransom over phone. The victims’ relatives are asked to come to certain place safe for the abductors and not to inform the police. Family feud is nothing new to this world particularly in Bangladesh where land dispute accounts for 80 percent of country’s total killing; the younger ones also become victimized most. Moreover, political vengeance and the paedophile rings are more outrageously active that normal put down will not hold them in their prison cell for a long time. Eventually they will come out to thrive again.
The report kept in such a state that I couldn’t sleep well and it felt so wrong that those children did nothing wrong to the masked goons which hurts my heart very bad.
I was astounded by case file like felicide— killing of children by parents. History says it in Britain in 1980s and 1990s murder of kids like Jasmine Beckford, Kimberley Carlyle, Doreen Aston. In Britain attracted huge media attention and public debate in England. Bangladeshi parents have so far had killed nearly 100 children.  In those days killing of kids by parents were rare on the delta.
The process of investigation is very long but I was confident enough to put the bad guys away for long. When I was on my next shift in the office and turn my regular and scheduled work. With clues and quick studies of files and paper cuttings at hand I headed for the field investigation. I hurried from one den of goons to another, one haven of drug addicts and peddlers to another, one cocoons of terrorists to another. I was trying all the ways and means to unearth the abduction and nab the culprits. I left no stone unturned but all in vain. For his return the kidnappers quickly demanded ransom from the victim’s parents and the amount was overwhelming. So parents had their logical foot-dragging. They were warned against communicating with the police but the victim’s relatives informed us of the matter though the law-enforcers already knew about the case and the investigation was in progress. They couldn’t manage the money to give to the kidnappers in ransom. So they killed the baby failing to get the large amount of money demanded for the baby’s return.
The earth, once a peaceful place for the human child, is increasingly getting dangerous for children. Abused and sometimes maimed or disfigured for running begging business; even killing takes place. Child killing in Bangladesh has gone afar. On killers list tops the abductors. Uncles, brothers, neighbours, political leaders and activists also creep up on the list. War ravaged countries curve their niche on the list of this heinous crime. Impoverished children are conscripted into the army, leaving many dead or crippled forever. On top of all some Bangladeshi parents have been racing against time to be the centurion in killing the most loved ones—their children. Felicides or child killing by step-parent or biological and real parents are sending wrong signals to the children. Innocent children are getting scared of the incidents. Maybe this generation of children may not make good future fathers and mothers. They are feeling unsafe even in their safest corner in the world — mother and father’s lap. With the indiscriminate and inhuman killing of kids the humanity is being haunted horrendously. It reminds us of the dark age prevailed before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). It was popularly known as Iyyam-e-Jahiliyyat. n