In Narayanganj, There is no place where ‘kishore gangs’ do not exist. It has become a threat to peace in this district over the past few years. From henious crimes to murder, stalking to rape, mugging to drug abuse — Kishore gangs have been making headlines for the last few months. These gangs consist of teen members who are often backed by a section of ruling party leaders, who act as the influential “elder brothers/Boro bhai”. Sometimes, Kishore gangs are made to show their power in a specific society and sometimes they work for a specific person in order to establish dominance.
Most of the gang members trade and abuse drugs, while some own illegal firearms and local weapons to show-off their power. The gangs often engage themselves in fight with innocent people for no logical reason.
growth of such teen gangs culture impact on common people’s lives and peace and security in the society.
Crimes including murder, snatching, extortion, drug peddling even violats the girls occur every day in different localities in Narayanganj district. Gangs of teenage boys are also engaged in the crimes as they have become active in the district.
On 31 July 2019, A boy named Foysal was killed heinously by five teens when he tried to bring his friend’s phone from them in Khanpur, Barafkol area. A boy named Shakil was also killed on the following month for a sheer reason by the Kishore gang members in Hasemnagar area. (ittefaq.com)
On 25 July 2020, early in the morning, a sixty years old man was hacked to death at Digubabu bazaar area in Narayanganj city. After the incident police captured a young man with a blood stained sharp weapon and then Sadar model police station branded him a snatcher. On Wednesday Sonargaon thana police recovered a throat-slit body from Nayabazar area.
Police suspected that the man was killed by any adolescent criminal gang as the deceased was also a young man.
On 10 August 2020, Two students named Mihad and Jisan died after they jumped into water for self-defence during a clash between two kishore gangs’ members in Bandar area, Narayangonj.
On 9 October 2020, A teenager named Nayeem was stabbed to death during a clash between two gangs in Fatulla, Narayananj.
On 6 april 2022, A person named Shamim were stabbed to death in daylight by the teenage drug smugglers in Fatulla. A garment worker was also killed in the following month in Masdair, Sher-a-bangla road by teen-gang members.
On 17 may 2022, A student named Dhruvo Das was killed after a junior-senior conflict had emarged in Isdair area of Fatulla. Criminals who killed Dhruvo were school going teens and they were involved in kishore-gang activities.
On 27 July 2022, A college student was killed in an attack by ‘kishore gang’ in Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj and two more college students were also injured in that attack.
There are hundreds of incidents that take place every month in Narayanganj district by the kishore-gang members. If someone talks against their work they start threatening and torturing. They do not even care laws and rules of society. Many journalists in Narayanganj faced death threat just because they wrote about ‘kishore gang’ on news papers.
On 13 May 2022, some miscreants stabbed two people, including the executive editor of a local newspaper, for reportedly publishing news on a teen gang in Narayanganj.
And incidents like these still going on.
The on-going situation of the teen-gangs in Narayanganj has become so alarming that it might bring an irreparable damage on the basic structure of our society. These teenagers are not only imposing threats to law and order of the country or to the usual norms of our society and livelihood, but largely polluting our political ethics. Whatever be the causes for the growth of such teen gangs culture, its impacts on people’s lives is enormous and in no way acceptable for maintaining peace and security in the society. The degradation of morality has gradually turned these teenagers into gangsters and ultimately transformed them into dangerous elements of the society, in fact, of the entire country.
such gang culture is a huge threat to the safety of people and if the practice of this culture increase day by day, Narayanganj will no longer be a safe place to live.
Regular incidents performed by the teen gangs prove that the condition of gang culture is not under control in Narayangonj. For reducing these issues authorities should pay more attention and seek ways to free the society from kishore gang culture.
Dhaka University’s (DU)’s Social Science Faculty Professor, Sadeka Halim, said the teenage gang culture is now an international phenomenan. Breakdown of society and the tendency to go to the centre of power is the main reason for the gang culture.
She thinks political parties actually patronize them. She added that textbook education is now incomplete and due to this, hatred towards other religions and humiliation of women are increasing. And in terms of this, basic social declines are created.
However, Teenage gang culture develops due to the lack of necessary guidance from the family, neighbours, educational institutions, and the society. so if necessary steps can be taken in time we can reduce this culture from our society.
As family is the first place to learn parents should take responsibility for their children, monitor their progress in school and who they interact with on the streets. Parents can discuss with their children for the problems they face. Parents can tell them the negativity of being a part of gang and how it can destroy a person and a society.
Teachers need to remain involved with students who struggle. School Administrators and above need to support teachers with staff that are working hard to help their students. Teachers should often speak against the gang culture and consequence of teen gangs in life.
Police need to walk on the streets, talk with their areas of watch and work together with their community. Also, a higher police presence in known turf areas will cut away the gangs in an area.
morever, Society plays a vital rule to shape a person’s life. All the conscious and educated citizens of a society should come together to terminate the “kishore gang” culture from the society and turn the society into safer place to live.
The writer Sajib Shehzad is a student of social work discipline at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
