Valentine's Day blast

We note with utter dismay the unfortunate exploding of bombs on Valentine's Day at the DU campus, which injured several persons. The incident raises far deeper questions than merely the inefficacy of the security arrangements made at the campus and the Book Fair area.

We note with serious consternation the unholy grip that is being attempted to be applied by forces of illiberality, extremism, intolerance and bigotry on our society that is known for its rich cultural heritage made even richer by the infusion of new but healthy influences over the years. We cannot but be seriously apprehensive of the onset of a deep-seated malaise in the fabric of our society.

Very recently a caveat was put on the performance of 'Jatra' ostensibly for reasons of security, to us quite unbelievably so. In the past obscurantist elements had targeted cinema halls. Now it is the turn of a Valentine's Day function and the object of the bomb-attack was actually an event organised by the Dhaka University Debating Society

It is not difficult to fathom the intention of these elements. It's time we registered in our minds the grave implications of these acts and the harm that the monstrosity of intolerance can bring to our image of 'a moderate Islamic country'.

Unfortunately, it appears that we are faced with the forces of anti-modernism bent upon resisting by force our liberal and tolerant outlook. What is being seen as 'alien' is merely a recreational and light-hearted occasion that has added a colourful dimension to our cultural milieu.

We urge upon the government not to take this incident as an isolated event but to take a holistic view of what we regard as part of a more sinister and bigger phenomenon that has the potential to strike at the very core of our time-honoured ethos and traditional respect for cultural diversities.

As Bengalis we must take pride in the multiple facets of our society. The cultural diversity that enriches it is but its mirror-image. Failure to defend it will imperil our existence.