We, the barbarians

The footage of the murder of two brothers in Sialkot was played in court and the howls of the victims' family were as painful as the horrific scene itself.

The raw footage of the brutal murder of two teenage brothers in Sialkot was played in the Supreme Court and the howls of the victims' family were as painful as the horrific scene itself.

Having seen the insane act, uncut and unblurred, I cannot even begin to comprehend just how anybody with the least bit of humanity, could actually stand there are watch the barbarians without so much as flinching.

More shocking was the prestige and the protocol offered to the suspended DPO of Sialkot,  as he left the court. With various henchmen running to and fro opening doors for him, nothing in Waqar Chauhan's posture reflected guilt or even remorse. He looked arrogant, unconcerned. While the victim's family sobbed uncontrollably and wondered why the savages couldn't just shoot their sons, instead of torturing them for two hours, those responsible left the court and went off.

The double murder in Sialkot is not just an unfortunate and horrifying incident, not just a matter of an out of control mob. The incident is, in fact, proof that we as a society have become so devastatingly barbaric, that dozens can actually stand and watch, while some men literally beat the life out of two helpless teenagers.

I don't have words for the men who publicly tortured the two brothers, but have you looked at the people standing around them? Not one looks shocked,Let alone shocked, none of them even looks the least bit uncomfortable. They are just standing; indifferent onlookers, for whom the spectacle of immense torture seems to be just another tamasha to enjoy.

In the very front row stands Waqar Chauhan, the DPO of the city. In one particular shot, the man responsible for the safety of the citizens of this city, can be seen calmly shaking hands with one the men involved - with one hand resting on the man's shoulders, the DPO seems to be offering his support, rather than trying to stop this merciless lynching.

The crowd gathered is dotted with gray caps of the policemen. But not a single one raises a finger to stop the brutality.

More inexplicable is the behaviour of the civilians; the dozens surrounding the madmen cannot and should not be termed as mere spectators - each one of them is as guilty of this brutal murder as the next.

After the killing, the torn bloodied bodies of the two brothers were roped to a pubic pole for all to see. And in the holy month of Ramzan, dozens of people actually stood and bore witness to an act that defies humanity. They stood and watched and went back, without having done a thing, without having given any proof of being human anymore.

Barbarians within a barbaric crowd, is there any thing, any thing in the world that could actually be termed fair punishment for these people?