A whole year after 21 members of the Jagannath University unit Chhatra League were convicted of the brutal murder of Bishwajit Das, 13 of his killers remain at large.
The killing of Biswajit Das in December 2012 shocked the nation as he was barbarically hacked to death in front of many people in a busy part of Dhaka.
It is completely unacceptable that not only are these absconders, two of whom were awarded the death penalty and the rest sentenced to life imprisonment, still not apprehended, but that some of them are openly disclosing their whereabouts on social media and even attending public rallies.
The government has a duty to support the police in immediately acting on the intelligence available to help bring all of Biswajit Das’s murderers to justice.
While this is a high profile case attracting special attention, the public is also deeply concerned about the impunity which permits other BCL members and politically connected persons accused of crimes, to act as if they are above the law.
Following recent acts of criminality at the Dhaka University campus, the prime minister and other senior members of the ruling party made welcome expressions of zero tolerance for party activists found to be involved in criminal activities.
The government must put these statements into practice. The public has to be reassured that its safety will be guaranteed and authorities will be vigilant in upholding the rule of law.