Effective steps needed to curb militancy

At least one was killed and several others were injured in a bomb attack carried out at a mosque of Bagmara Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rajshahi during jummah prayer on Friday. Earlier on Thursday, police recovered a cache of bomb making materials conducting a drive in a house of capital`s Mirpur. These incidents indicate that militancy is reviving in Bangladesh which has continued to create tension as usual in national and international arena.

According to devotees of Bagmara Ahmadiyya Muslim community, a youth exploded a suicide bomb during prayer, leaving him killed and several other devotees injured. Police detained at least seven people conducting a drive in a six-storied house of capital`s Mirpur-1 a day before this incident. Sixteen hand-made bombs and two cocktails were also recovered from that house. Besides, they also recovered a huge cache of bomb making materials from there. On December 18, at least six people were injured in crude bomb blasts at two mosques in the secured Isha Khan Navy Station of Chittagong which was surprising and worrying as usual. It is the first time attack in such structures. The blasts took place simultaneously in two mosques during jumma prayer. Two suspects were arrested in connection with the blasts. Fourteen powerful explosives were also seized from their possession. The arrested suspects used to work in the Isha Khan Navy Station. One of them provided the Navy Station with fake information about his educational qualification. On last November, shooting at Bogra mosque, Khadem murder at Rangpur mazar, shooting of Italian national and Father of Suihari Catholic Mission Piero Parolari in Dinajpur, Iskcon leader attempted to kill by shooting at Ranirbandar under Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur, Kantajeu Temple attack in Dinajpur, gun attack on Iskcon temple in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur and attack on Tazia procession preparations in capital’s Old Dhaka looked all interlinked. The banned militant outfit Jama`atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) claimed responsibility some of these incidents. Police could not be able to unveil mystery of many incidents and trace out the persons involved in the incidents.

A team of bomb disposal experts said three materials of the recovered grenades from Mirpur were not available in the country which means those materials were brought from abroad. Now the question is that how did these sensitive substances like bomb making materials enter into the country sensing the presence of Border Guards? Not only that, those materials have also entered into the capital sensing the presence of security force. Observing the situation, we fear that the law enforcers of the country have virtually failed to fight militancy.

After the IS attack in France, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that Bangladesh has capability and preparation to avert such attacks. He claimed that our law enforcers are always prepared to avert the attacks. Again, after the attack on Qadian mosque at Bagmara upazila in Rajshahi, Home Minister told to BBC Bangla in an interview that such kind of attacks are being carried out to create instability in the country through national and international conspiracy. How these happen if our law enforcers are always prepared? We do not expect assurance in words from ministers. Defense of religion and security is the fundamental right of citizens. We want that the state be more careful about preserving the rights. At the same time, effective steps should be taken on the basis of emergency to prevent the rise of militancy. For this, law enforcers should be made more powerful. We have to be more attentive to check criminals stopping the politics of blame.

risingbd/Dhaka/Dec 26, 2015/Shahed/Amirul