Militant suspects out on bail pose a threat

We are alarmed to learn of the number of militant suspects who are currently out on bail, roaming freely amid unsuspecting citizens. According to the Police Headquarters, as many as 4,881 people were arrested for their alleged involvement with different militant outfits since 2005. Of them, 2,456 walked out of jail on bail, 251 of whom went into hiding. Reportedly, many of the suspects reorganised to continue their extremist activities, while a good number of them fled the country. Only a few of them appear before the court during hearings, according to court sources.

According to our report, one such militant is Ariful Karim Chowdhury alias Adnan, who was arrested by police in 2015 over his involvement with banned militant outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji). After coming out of jail, he got involved with another banned outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). Although Adnan was arrested again in 2019, this is not the case for the majority of the suspects who are on bail. They have been continuing their activities in hiding, according to reports.

The question is: how did so many suspects manage to get bail? One reason cited by officials working on countering extremism is the long time it takes to collect evidence against militant suspects. By the time police collect the evidence, the militants are out on bail already. Lack of public prosecutors experienced in dealing with militant cases is another reason. Moreover, according to the prosecutors, the weak charge sheets given against the suspects are also a barrier to keeping them behind bars.

These suspected militants pose a threat to our security. This needs to be taken seriously by all working to counter extremism and radicalisation, including the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU). We know that a team of counter-terrorism unit (CTU) was formed in every police unit across Bangladesh in 2017. They should regularly monitor the activities and whereabouts of the militants. In addition, the issue of social reintegration of militant suspects needs to be taken seriously by the authorities concerned. If they are not deradicalised and given a chance to re-engage with society in a positive way, we can't expect them to make an automatic U-turn from their former way of life.

Last but not the least, the legal process for trying militant suspects must also be made more effective by enhancing the capacity of the investigators and improving coordination between the police and the prosecutors at all stages. The cases filed in connection with militancy must be disposed of quickly. Otherwise, all our efforts to contain militancy may fail.