Bloggers die young
It is hard to believe that a group of writers are in mortal danger in the country now just for expressing their opinions. But that’s the truth.
It seems that the state cannot ensure safety of these online writers, mostly young, as three of them were slain brutally in the last two and half months.
Failures of law enforcers become more apparent when shadowy groups claimed responsibilities after the killing missions at times specially in social media like Twitter. Militant groups claiming to be Ansar Bangla 8 on its Twitter account posted several times claiming the responsibility for these killings well as that of al-Qaeda in Indian Sub-Continent.
Now the declared targets of assassins, the bloggers and online activists are being extra cautious in their daily lives. The Daily Star Online found them hesitant to talk. They are being cautious while going out. They were interviewed in places of their own choices.
In the latest incident, blogger Ananta Bijoy Das, known for advocating science and secularism, was viciously hacked to death by a group of masked men in Sylhet city on May 12, in a continuation of attacks on free thinkers.
Another blogger and online activist, Oyashiqur Rahman Babu was hacked to death on March 30 by three cleaver-wielding youths in Dhaka’s Tejgaon Industrial area.
Just 10 days before Babu’s killing, prominent writer and blogger Avijit Roy was hacked to death at the Dhaka University campus after he and his wife came out of the Ekushey Boi Mela. The attackers badly wounded his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya.
Before them, another blogger Rajib was hacked to death in the capital’s Pallabi area on February 15, 2013. Rajib was attacked only 10 days after the formation of Gonojagoron Mancha, an anti-war criminals' platform.
Imran H Sarker, a blogger and spokesperson of Gonojagoron Mancha, said that the government has no will to arrest the killers or the people responsible for the killings. Rather it supports the killers silently because the government high ups always termed the killings as stray incidents.
“The attackers killed the bloggers in pre-planning way according to the names of the name-list which was given to the government by Hefajat-e-Islam leaders and activists.”
“It is clear to us that Islami extremists carried out the attacks because they do not want to see Bangladesh as a secular country. They always want to see it as a religion-based country,” he said.
Parvez Alam, a blogger, said that those who are being killed are writers.
As long as there is this culture of impunity and lack of justice- this will continue, he added.
“Its been two years since Rajib was killed. We are hearing so many things about the involvement of Ahsarullah Bangla Team, but there is no justice. That’s why Avijit was killed next.”
“Since no one was arrested in connection of Avijit’s murder, Oyashiqur was killed next. Two killers were captured by general people following Oyashiqur’s killing. It was general people - not the police,” he said.
“Again, even after the arrest of two, the failure to unearth the network of militants led to the killing of Ananta Bijoy Das. The matter is simple. The secular people of Bangladesh were killed in the past but that did not stop secularism. Secularism was there from generation to generations and it will be there.”
“But if you don’t try the killers of these people, the situation would not improve,” he added.
Blogger Omi Rahman Pial said, “I receive a lot of threats in my Inbox—that I will be killed. This government is unable to give me the security.
Thousands of protesters across the country joined the Mancha when it was formed on February 5, 2013 protesting the verdict of war criminal and Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah for his crimes against humanity.
To malign the Mancha activities, Hefajat-e-Islam called them atheist bloggers and gave the government a list of names demanding action against them. They threatened country wide agitations if the government did act on it.
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