Two recent incidents in Dhaka have once again raised serious concerns about public safety and security: A crude bomb blast at Dhaka University, and a 24-year-old man being hacked to death while getting a haircut at a salon on the same day.
These incidents, while different in nature, point to the same underlying, urgent concern: Ordinary people must be able to go about their daily lives without fearing sudden violence. A university campus, a roadside salon, a marketplace, or a residential neighbourhood should not become places where people are exposed to explosives, weapons, or violent attacks.
The Dhaka University blast is particularly troubling because such incidents can quickly create panic among thousands of students and others who use the campus every day.
To that end, the authorities must determine who was responsible, how the explosives were brought onto the campus, and whether there were warning signs that could have been detected earlier. Security measures should be strengthened without turning educational institutions into unnecessarily restrictive spaces.
At the same time, the killing in Keraniganj shows that public safety is not limited to high-profile locations. When people can be attacked in ordinary places in broad daylight, it raises uncomfortable questions about policing, criminal networks, weapons, and the ability of law enforcement to deter violence.
The government has a fundamental responsibility to protect citizens, but effective security also requires accountability after crimes occur. Investigations must be prompt, impartial, and thorough, while those responsible must face due process and punishment where guilt is established.
People cannot be expected to feel secure simply because authorities pledge greater vigilance. The safety being promised must be visible in practice -- through stronger policing, effective intelligence, rapid responses, and consistent enforcement of the law.
Bangladesh needs to ensure that its people feel -- and indeed are -- safe, and that can only be achieved if violence is not allowed to become an accepted part of everyday life.
