Over the past few days, our country looks to have plunged back into an atmosphere of anxiety and dread.
A relentless wave of synchronized arson attacks and crude bomb explosions, targeting public transports to bustling hubs alike, is nothing if not a direct, malicious assault on the public’s sense of safety.
It goes without saying that these acts of sabotage must be unequivocally condemned by every segment of society.
There is no political objective or grievance that justifies throwing crude bombs into crowded public areas or setting commuter buses ablaze. It is important that every single person in this country recognizes this.
When terrified passengers are forced to flee burning buses, or pedestrians running about in panic as a result of the crude bombs, it is innocent civilians who bear the brunt of this violence.
These are not and have never been acts of political expression. They must be identified for what they are: Lawless acts of terror designed to instill fear, disrupt public life, and destabilize the state.
While the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s deployment of additional checkpoints and increased intelligence presence are necessary steps, reactive measures alone will not suffice.
What we need is for the authorities to deliver a swift, decisive response to identify, apprehend, and prosecute every individual involved -- from those hurling explosives and setting the vehicles on fire on the ground to those orchestrating these attacks from behind the scenes.
The state has a fundamental duty to guarantee the basic safety and freedom of movement of the public, and the citizens of this country cannot be left to navigate their daily lives under the shadow of violence.
Lawlessness must be met with an unyielding zero-tolerance policy. Nothing else will do.