There is a widely known moral maxim in Bengali that says, “In the pursuit of base instincts, humanity is destroyed.” Driven by greed, lust, deception, and fraud—such ignoble tendencies—human beings often engage in actions that are not seen in any other species. Animals kill one another merely to satisfy hunger or to ensure their own survival—this is the law of ecology.
But Homo sapiens, human beings alone, harm members of their own species simply to fulfill petty personal interests. In such cases, there is no question of ecological necessity; there exists only personal greed and desire.
Time and again, we see a certain group of people engaging in conduct and activities that cause harm to others in ways that are utterly devoid of humanity. Humans harming humans—these “two-legged demons”—what a dreadful notion!
In newspapers we frequently come across various accounts related to “party culture.” These are not festive gatherings, but rather sinister groups whose clutches leave countless people destitute every day—namely the unconscious party and the ointment party.
The reign of terror of these groups is nothing new. Using various tactics, they remain active on waterways, highways, and railways. Particularly on some of the busiest routes—such as Dhaka–Chattogram, Dhaka–Sylhet, and Panchagarh–Dhaka—they seem like all-too-familiar faces. Almost every day, passengers on one train or another across the country fall victim to these criminals and lose everything they possess.
According to victims’ accounts, members of these gangs lie in wait at stations. After the train departs, they first strike up friendly conversations with passengers, spinning stories of various kinds.
At some point, they offer food items they carry with them—chocolates, drinks, pickles, tender coconut water, and the like. After consuming these items, passengers fall unconscious.
What follows is predictable: the criminals make off with all the passengers’ belongings. Every day, countless train passengers lose everything in this manner. Through verbal charm and polite behavior, these wrongdoers very cleverly gain the trust of passengers and inflict such losses.
Trains are one of the primary modes of travel in our country. Considering convenience, a vast number of passengers commute daily from one end of the country to the other by rail. Yet this very popular mode of transport has become a prime target of the unconscious and ointment parties.
Due to manpower shortages, the railway police struggle to restrain them; passengers, too, are not sufficiently aware—and this is precisely the opportunity these gangs exploit. The police administration and other relevant authorities repeatedly warn passengers not to accept food from strangers while traveling.
Still, some passengers, out of ignorance or mistake, accept food offered by others. In this digital age, when the activities of the unconscious party, ointment party, or chili-powder party should be unknown to no one, why are passengers not more aware?
Moreover, the police claim that victims of these gangs rarely lodge complaints at police stations—why should this be so? When people masquerading as passengers pick pockets and loot others of everything they own, is it not desirable for victims to raise their voices and seek legal recourse to curb such tendencies?
While such “party culture” is unimaginable in the developed world, in the social structures of the developing world it seems to have become a “permanent tendency.” On railways, roads, and waterways, members of these gangs lie in ambush.
They become particularly active during festival seasons. With the holy Eid-ul-Fitr approaching after Ramadan, it goes without saying that they are already hatching new schemes.
Therefore, the concerned authorities must be more vigilant in reining them in, increasing surveillance and monitoring. Above all, there is no alternative to heightened public awareness among passengers if this harmful culture is to be eradicated.