Ramna Batamul blast case

WHILE the nation celebrated with fervour and festivity Pahela Baishak on the 14th of April, perhaps the largest festival of the Bangalees, one could not but be reminded of the carnage perpetrated at Ramna Batamul nine years ago that day. There have been bomb attacks on public functions before, and there have been many since then, but this one was quite different from the rest. This was an attack against the very identity of the nation; it was a blow against the very belief on which the War of Liberation was fought; it was a stab at the very ethos in which we take immense pride, both collectively and as individuals.
The poignancy to the celebrations, and indeed to the very day itself, was lent by the very fact that the process of trial has stumbled on matters of procedure. That, after all these years during which one saw deliberate attempts made not only to distort the substance of the case but also derail the very process by dubious means, is very disheartening indeed. Not only should the tangles be removed with all speed and exemplary punishments meted out to the accused, there is also need to find out the brain behind this incident. The longer they remain out of the grasp of the law the more they will have time to regroup to perpetrate similar carnage in future.
The Ramna blast also brings into focus several other incidents of bomb attacks in the country, since 2001 in particular. The attack on the AL leadership in 2004, the attack on Mr. Kibria, and on the then British High Commissioner in Sylhet, and the Mymensingh cinema hall blasts, are but a few very high profile cases that have not been resolved as yet. And in respect of these cases too one saw a very cynical attempts to shift the blame on some one else. What was most reprehensible was the attempt by the then government to exploit these incidents in a politically partisan manner. While we fail to rationalise the actions taken with regard to these cases, certainly the long delay in resolving them have gone in favour of the perpetrators and the brain behind these attacks.
While one can notice a pattern in these incidents there may not be a link between the motivations and the actors. That is why there is all the more urgency to identify the criminals and their agents and operators. The long delay in resolving these cases reflects our failure on several counts, but the grave implications of leaving these cases unresolved should not be lost on the agencies concerned.