The attack on Ganajagaran Mancha activist Arif Noor that has left him with 15 stitches in his head once again underlines the dangers posed by extremists, and serves as a strong reminder that the government must do more to crack down on those guilty of political violence.
While direct evidence as to who is responsible for the attack is hard to come by, it is fairly apparent what the motive was, and there can be little doubt as to the ideological outlook of the attackers.
The government may not be able to provide round the clock protection for those who are being targeted by Islamist militants, but what it can do is to redouble its efforts against the purveyors of violence, and send the message that there will be zero tolerance for such attacks.
In this connection, the government’s public distancing itself from those it has dubbed “atheists,” and prosecution of the “atheist bloggers” does not help matters. It emboldens those who would target them.
We won’t say that the government has created an environment where this kind of thing can happen, but it is fair to say that as long as the government continues to play both sides of the fence, that it is sending mixed signals.
We do not expect a full-throated defense, though that would be nice. But what we do expect is that the government will use its full power to defend the vulnerable and ensure that those who target them are brought to justice.
Indeed, scrapping the tendentious cases against the “atheist bloggers” would be a good way to make the point, and would be a good place to start.
