It is truly disheartening to see the clashes and attacks at the Ijtema grounds in Tongi, Gazipur between two factions that left four people dead and over 50 injured.
While it is good to see that the government now has control over the situation, this senseless loss of life is simply unacceptable, especially at a place that is meant for worship and self reflection.
We commend Home Affairs Advisor Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury for stating that those responsible for the violence would be held accountable, that there would be no leniency for those involved in the killings, and that legal cases would be filed to bring the culprits to justice.
It is imperative that each and every individual found responsible for escalating the situation and leading to the loss of life be tried to the fullest extent of the law, as failure to do so only emboldens others to also try and cause unrest and mayhem.
We also expect better from our law enforcement; it has been months now that the previous regime fell, and it is sad to say that the state of law and order still leaves a lot to be desired. It is impossible for a nation to function, let alone also attempt crucial reforms, if there is a continuous breakdown of law and order.
Bangladesh is currently at a very precarious position, and there continue to exist nefarious parties and those with vested interests to try and destabilize the nation and undermine its attempts at reforms.
As such, the importance of ensuring safety and security, and remaining pro-active to any and all security threats cannot be stated enough.
