Inaction and incapacity
Even before the wailings of the victims of one incident become fade we have to witness another tragedy caused by grenade throwing and bomb blasting. In the wake of these apparently unstoppable violence we are demanding swift and impartial investigation without ascertaining the real impediment to speedy action and impartiality. The public do not know why the trial of some charge-sheeted bomb explosion cases could not be held and how accused persons of such cases were gradually released on bail. It is also not know why fresh investigations are ordered when there is a change of political regime. Similarly, very few are bothered about the stalled investigations of other cases.

The investigating agencies shall continue to remain inactive and incapacitated until the political executive authorities decide to treat the bomb and grenade explosion violence as a purely criminal phenomenon and desist from interfering in the investigative process. Immediate actions to secure the place of occurrence for preservation of physical evidence will not follow if the investigators remain in a state of bewilderment following the enormity of one such incident. The institution capacity building in so far as it relates to modern scientific investigation is not on anybody's priority list. There is, therefore, no wonder that after each explosion there is a demand for impartial investigation by foreign or international agency on account of alleged lack of investigative acumen, in addition to other political and psychological factors. The question is: where do we go from this impasse?

If we are not willing to forsake one of the primary state functions we cannot lose any further time in modernising our investigative outfit. Must we not realise that calling foreign investigation agency to conduct its activities on our soil amounts to a disgraceful admission of our operational and administrative inefficiency? What we need to plug the gaps in this regard is some modest investment on capital machineries and training. However, equipping the investigators will not serve the purpose if investigation does not become the unaffected and unfettered jurisdiction of the investigator. The inaction and the resultant incapacity characterising each incident of grenade and bomb explosion hangs heavy on the national scene and is giving rise to mounting international concern. The need, therefore, is to empower the investigators by lawful directives and ensure the growth of a healthy political climate for peaceful resolution.

Damper and despondency
The death of Kibria, without doubt, has ominous portents for budding politicians of the desired breed in the Bangladesh polity. For Kibria had impeccable credentials in a

scenario where politicians do not figure high on the popularity ratings. He was a soothing presence in a culture of high emotion and over-statement. His cruel annihilation from the political arena sends a disturbing signal to decent folks who are desirous of taking to the public life. The premonition is: Are we not creating a situation where half-educated brats with no commitment and compassion will occupy the centrestage of politics for a painfully long time? Cynical comments like 'Politics is the last refuge of a scoundrel' will gain credence in our parlance if we fair to arrest the rising tide of violence and properly investigate the crime.

Late Kibria's election to parliament was a surprise to those who thought electoral popularity was an exclusive preserve of ill-gotten money and muscle. The well meaning persons who felt inspired to shake off their ambivalence and join public life received a rude jolt in his violent death. Under the circumstances, the quality of public life and its leaders will have a special meaning for those who are keen to see the flowering of democratic institutions and traditions in our volatile environment. The proper investigation of the criminal cases relating to the grenade and bomb blasts acquire special significance in this context because in so doing we will be able to establish our credibility as an orderly and law-abiding society and nullify the impression that politics is the exclusive domain of the rogue elements. In the process our ability of governance will be restored. All these will augur well for the nation and the policy.

Sermon and sincerity
Till date we are deluged with admonition of different dimension following each incidence of grenade and bomb blast. However, substantive progress has not been achieved because we have not taken a pragmatic and holistic view and have concentrated our efforts primarily on treating the symptoms. We have agreed to let foreign investigation agency conduct their activities on our soil without undertaking serious efforts to brush up our investigator's skills. The investigation of the connected cases has not been taken in right earnest it deserved because in several instances there have been complaints from foreign and local quarters that the scene of occurrence was not effectively secured and that physical evidence was tampered with. The field outfits have not acted with desired speed and circumspection. The series of explosion incidents have not alerted the concerned agencies to take adequate preventive steps and progress, if any, have not been made public.

In the above backdrop, the sincerity of the authority comes into question. The required sincerity can only be proved through concrete actions like proper registration of the case, energising the intelligence network for proper apprehension, collection of material, physical and circumstantial evidence, effective laboratory testing and finally expeditious investigation. All these can be made possible if the political executives show adequate determination and agree to go by the book. The field executives concerning the criminal investigation have the ability and competence to withstand the pressures of sustained investigation and present a legally tenable charge-sheet. The rest would be a matter for the law courts to decide. After all, the booking of perpetrators is possible by working through the existing criminal intelligence network. If in the past we have been able to detect clueless murder cases there is no reason to think that the same cannot be done now.

In fact the public functionaries including the investigators must be helped and facilitated to so conduct themselves that the difference between government and state interests are not diluted thereby upholding the hallowed ethos of our public service. If this can be done at the earliest we may be able to halt the pernicious slide towards an environment of all-pervasive lack of trust and confidence in the ability and impartiality of our investigative apparatus. The politicians have to realise that the series of explosion incidents and the death of Kibria in particular have made an adverse impact on all segments of the state and the outside world has taken a note of that. The situation brooks no further delay because the nation must come out of the saturated pool of pathetic inaction into a pragmatic realisation that political disputes must be settled in a civilized manner and violence cannot be a way of life in a democratic polity.

In pursuance of the government's declaration that all incidents of bomb and grenade explosions would be thoroughly investigated, a high-powered commission may be set up consisting of eminent judicial and investigating experts to oversee the investigation on a regular basis. The commission must work with a definite time frame so that the hopes of early resolution are not frustrated. Kibria's death must compel us to wake up and realise that the interests of different political governments may vary and that power may change hands but the functions of state will not assume a partisan character. Let this tragic incident not foreclose the entry of well-meaning gentle folks in public life. Let gentle voices be heard everywhere in Bangladesh.

Muhammad Nurul Huda is former Inspector General of Police and Secretary to the Government.