Punishment of Larceny.. Rip Off His Eyeballs..

I hardly read the Bangladeshi newspapers. The headlines are so predictable that anybody can easily guess what will appear in the headlines. Yet, for no reason, I went to check out the internet edition of a bengali daily. And there it was, possibly the most disturbing news I've ever came across this year. The title translates, "Father forced to rip off son's eyeballs by the Village Elders".

Yes, it did happen and this is not a individual case. Since the old days, it's a popular form of punishment for larceny in many rural parts of Bangladesh. But this time, they took it to a new level, force the father to execute the horrible task. Miru, a fifteen year old boy was accused of stealing a cellphone by the Village Elders. They found him guilty and fined him 30000 taka (Roughly 400 USD). Finally, they ordered that the eyeballs of the boy be ripped off. No, this was not enough, they wanted the father to carry out this punishment otherwise he was threatened to face the same by the elders.

And as usual, nothing happened to these "Elders". As of yet, nobody's been charged with anything.

In a country where the rulers and the lawmakers have colorful records of corruption, embezzlement and criminal offenses, isn't it ironic for a petty thief to be punished in such a medieval way?

I really feel sorry for the father as well as for the boy. There's nothing I can do but to say, I'm ashamed..