Finding motive all too crucial
The security and communal harmony in the country will be in jeopardy if the current spate of targeted attacks continues and if the government fails to catch the perpetrators and unearth their motive, say security experts.
The threat will multiply in case the country gets caught up in the wave of international militant and terrorist activities, they fear.
There has been a sudden resurgence of militant activities and random attacks in the country of late, but investigations into such high-profile and sensitive crimes are not being done professionally in the absence of a specialised unit in the police department, they observe.
Those who are investigating the cases have little or no experience of handling such crimes. Moreover, they cannot work independently. As a result, the real perpetrators remain at large and their motives unknown, the experts noted.
However, the government maintains that the BNP-Jamaat and banned Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh are behind the recent attacks aimed at “destabilising” the country.
The government also claims there is no existence of Islamic State (IS) in the country.
The terror outfit has claimed credit for several deadly attacks in Bangladesh, including the killings of two foreigners, the attack on three free-thinkers, the bomb attack on a Shia gathering and the latest gun attack in a Shia mosque in Bogra, according to US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities.
While these claims could not be independently verified, the government and law enforcers did not take these seriously.
In the meantime, police officers who investigate regular crimes are probing these attacks.
For example, Officer-in-charge (investigation) of Shibganj Police Station Kamruzzaman Mia is investigating the Bogra Shia mosque attack that killed one person and injured three more. The OC has no experience of investigating such crimes.
“This is a whole new dimension of threat as we never witnessed this sort of sectarian angle of terrorism in Bangladesh,” Maj Gen (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman, president of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Strategic Strategies, told The Daily Star.
“If it [such attacks] continues, it will be a threat to security, and the government should apply all efforts to stop it.”
He said a sense of insecurity already gripped people following the attacks.
According to him, fighting terrorism requires a professional approach and there is no scope of politicking here. And in this fight, the whole society must be included.
The ex-army officer suggested a comprehensive threat assessment to understand the imminent threats and take appropriate measures to counter it.
Nur Mohammad, former inspector general of police, said investigators must be allowed to work without any interference to identify the attackers and unearth their motives as well as to prevent further attacks.
“The mystery behind these attacks can be unearthed if these are investigated by trained, experienced and capable officers,” he told this correspondent.
However, police officials cannot work freely. Referring to the August 21 grenade attack and the 10-truck arms haul (both in 2004), he said the real facts behind these incidents could not be known for years due to mud-slinging over the incidents.
“There is no scope of mud-slinging or looking right and left now,” said Nur, who is now secretary to the youth and sports ministry. “They [police] should be instructed to pay attention to unearthing the incidents and it should be made clear to them that it is not a political issue.”
Describing Thursday's attack in Bogra as a “very dangerous symptom,” he said it should not be taken lightly or as an isolated incident.
He does not rule out that there might be some foreign links with the recent attacks, but warned against drawing any such conclusion too quickly and without evidence.
“If you can't trace the perpetrators, it is not possible to combat them successfully,” said Brig Gen (retd) Shahedul Anam Khan, a security expert.
Definitely these are well-planned and well-coordinated acts, he said. “The government must unearth whether militant groups are resorting to terrorism for their own interests or if it's a political party trying to serve its own end or if it's both working together for a common goal.”
A senior police official who has years of experience in dealing with militancy said, “The law enforcement agencies are not well-equipped either to investigate these crimes or to combat terror groups.”
But Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday said some vested quarters were trying to portray Bangladesh as a failed state, labelling the country as a hotspot for militant activities.
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