When justice is meted out, hope lights up. After having lived with the wounds of losing dear ones, the court’s announcement of death sentences for the culprits responsible for the gruesome killing at the Ramna Batamul, some 13 years ago, restored some hope.
The verdict came limping after 13 years in wait, finally. Upon learning about the court ruling, the mother visited the grave of her blameless son, who had to part from her on that day, the day of the Pohela Boishakh blast, to inform the resting boy of the judgment.
The nation had witnessed the explosion, mutilated bodies taking the appearance of mountains of flesh and blood, the stench of burnt human tissue, and the absolute horror of the surroundings.
Two bombs went off during the celebrations of Bangla New Year, 1408 (April 14, 2001) at Ramna Batamul. 10 people were killed and dozens were injured. The incident followed three major bomb attacks in a span of only two years since March 1999.
A Dhaka court handed down the death penalty to eight militants of Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji), including its top leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, for killing 10 people in the attack on the Chhayanaut function on the first day of the Bangla calendar in 2001. Six other militants from the banned Islamist outfit were sentenced to life imprisonment for their involvement in the attacks.
The Pohela Boishakh celebrations, which Chhayanaut has been organising at the capital’s Ramna Batamul since the 1960s, have always drawn a large crowd every year.
We now know the modus operandi behind the attacks. How the militants and their cohorts worked the plan and then implemented it. A few simple questions take shape in every mind: Why this type of an attack? For what purpose? Why on that particular day?
A common answer would be that it was on a day when a large number of people would congregate in one place, and that too in festive mood, and safety measures would not be that stringent. And that the purpose was to scare people away from their very own cultural heritage.
It was a multipurpose strike, apparently. One, to scare people from celebrating national and cultural events, and two, to send erroneous signals to the people at large about the impending consequences for those who would not tag on to their transcript.
It was a challenge to the government of that time, and a mockery of law and order. The explosion and the killing, right in the middle of a cultural event, meant a lot more.
It reminded us of the return of the dark souls of the extremists who, in the garb of religion, would try to prey on the Bengali culture of hospitality and warmth.
While declaring the verdict, the judge said: “Bomb attacks have been launched on people and organisations for political and other reasons in the past, such incidents have also happened in Bangladesh.” But this event is entirely unusual.
As reports started pouring out, we were bemused to learn that, after the occurrence, the Huji leader Mufti Hannan was assured of safety and free movement throughout the country. He was given a clean pass, at least for that moment. No one dared to touch him or the others.
If that is true, we wonder, how can we place our faith in our leaders and the custodians of law? The then home minister was allegedly associated in giving refuge to the criminals. This is virtually the state becoming the law breaker and the warden of criminals. It should be noted that the infamous Bangla Bhai and Shaikh Abdur Rahman were hanged by the BNP government through a fairly quick trial.
Now that the case will travel to higher courts, we would like to see the execution of the verdict sooner rather than later. Bangladesh should travel along the path of justice and not a single soul should die without justice.
Then we have August 21 grenade blast cases pending in the courts. We see big names appear here as well, including many top leaders and state actors of the then BNP government, along with the Huji militants.
Cases are also pending in the International courts for the trials of the 1971 human rights violators. The war crime trials are on, as we’ve observed. Verdicts are being announced at regular intervals, with one of the war criminals already being hanged.
We have more cases in the pipeline that require an immediate call. We have the Sagar-Runi case still shrouded in mystery. For reasons unknown, no motives have yet to be established, let alone seeing the culprits behind bars.
Let’s not forget the seven murders, and Towki’s killing in Narayanganj, the Ekram murder in Feni, and more across the country. Our plate is full with murder cases, committed both in the open and in secret. Our courts are logged up with files in the thousands while the jails are packed with prisoners of various colours.
These are trying times for the state, the administration, and the justice department, in demonstrating their understanding, their fortitude, and their pledge towards the rule of justice. We want justice.