Shamiran Biswas

The trend of social and moral degradation is increasing all over the world, including Bangladesh. Due to the crisis of morality, greed, political instability, and personal vendetta, human cruelty towards innocent plants, crops, and the environment is increasing day by day. On the one hand, natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and climate change are threatening the agricultural sector, on the other hand, human selfish activities are creating even greater disasters for agricultural land and the environment.

The root cause of the problem:

Greed and lust: Due to individual and group interests, agricultural land is being occupied, illegal construction is being done, and deforestation is being done. As the price of land increases, many unscrupulous groups are systematically damaging agricultural land.

Political instability: Crops may be destroyed to weaken an individual, group, or opponent. In the fight for political revenge and dominance, their agricultural lands, orchards or crop lands are being destroyed to weaken the opponent. This is not only a personal loss, but also affects the country's food security. Social degradation: Due to lax laws, lack of exemplary punishment for criminals, and degradation of values, many people are indiscriminately attacking plants and crops.

Personal enmity and vindictiveness: In order to take personal enmity or revenge, crop lands are often destroyed, garden trees are cut down, and even crops are destroyed by using poison. This is not only a threat to the affected person, but also to the entire agricultural economy. Wrong policies and reckless decisions: Sometimes farmers' crops are destroyed due to wrong decisions of the government or organization. For example, illegally occupying agricultural land, not paying fair prices to farmers, or adopting import-export policies at the wrong time.

Farmers' protests: Sometimes farmers are forced to destroy their crops themselves because they do not get fair prices or to protest against government policies. This is a harsh reality where the fruits of farmers' hard work become worthless.

Climate change and environmental neglect: Climate change is occurring due to human pollution and deforestation, resulting in drought, floods, excessive rain or drought destroying crops.

Misuse of modern agriculture and technology: Excessive use of pesticides and chemicals, the effects of genetically modified (GM) crops, and incorrect technology often reduce the fertility of agricultural land, which negatively affects future crop production.

Due to the results and effects of which, if agricultural production decreases, the country's food security will be threatened. Deforestation has a long-term negative impact on the climate, which increases the risk of landslides, droughts, and floods. If farmers lose money, it has a negative impact on the overall economy. If such crimes are not prosecuted, it will create more chaos in society. Deliberately destroying another person's crops is a crime, and different countries have different punishments for it.

Punishment under Bangladesh law: The Bangladesh Penal Code, 1860, contains several sections on destroying crops— Section 427 (General damage) – If a person intentionally destroys the property or crops of another person and the damage amounts to 50 taka or more, he can be punished with imprisonment for up to 2 years, a fine, or both. Section 430 (Damage to irrigation or agricultural system) – If a person damages a source of water used for farming or an agricultural system, he can be punished with imprisonment for up to 5 years, a fine, or both. Section 431 (Damage by grazing or road) – If a person intentionally destroys crops by releasing cattle on another person's land, he can be punished with imprisonment for up to 1 year or a fine.

In special circumstances, if someone burns or completely destroys crops due to revenge or enmity, it is considered a serious crime and can be punished with imprisonment for up to 7 years. In recent times, the ruthless behavior of people on innocent fruits, crops and trees for achieving greed, political instability, social degradation, personal enmity and vindictive purposes is increasing in the country! Which reveals a sign of terrible consequences for a country! It is time for the concerned ministries and the government to urgently provide exemplary punishment according to the law to save from this man-made disaster. Due to human greed, abuse of power, and weak implementation of the law, cruelty on crops and trees is increasing, which can lead to terrible consequences for the country. To prevent this destruction, the government must implement strict laws and the people must be more aware, so that a livable and agriculturally rich country can be ensured for future generations. The role of media and educational institutions is important in creating awareness among the common people on this issue.

The writer is a, Agriculture and Environment Expert, Dhaka.