The High Court has expressed shock at the hacking incident of Rifat Sharif in Borguna, in which no one apart from the victim’s wife, came forward to help.

“The people stood there and recorded the incident on video but did not come forward to help, which is a failure of the people.”

If people had come forward then the killers would have fled, said a joint bench of justices, Justice FRM Nazmul Ahsan and Justice KM Kamrul Quader.

Despite desperate attempts by Rifat’s wife, Ayesha Akhter Minni, the attackers could not be stopped. After hacking Rifat, they went away in a victorious mood, without hiding their faces. Rifat later died at the Barishal Sher E Bangla Medical College Hospital.