Ain o Salish Kendra expresses serious concern about the threats, attacks and killings in different parts of the country over the last few days.

On Tuesday (24 November 2015), Alok Sen, General Secretary, Faridpur district unit, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council was hacked by two attackers in front of his house in Char Kamalapur area.

On the other hand, the muezzin of Shia mosque in Bogra’s Shibganj upazila was killed in a gun attack on worshippers, who were taking preparations for prayer, on Thursday (26 November 2015) evening. The attack also left three people, including the imam, critically injured. Also, on Friday (27 November 2015), a general diary was filed after two Christian priests received death threats in Khulna.

These incidents point to a serious deterioration of law and order in the country. These are in no way isolated incidents; rather, they appear to be closely linked.

The top leaders of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council were threatened on several occasions before the attack on Alok Sen in Faridpur. Just a month ago before the Shia mosque attack in Bogra, a grenade attack during the preparation of a Tazia procession at Hoseni Dalan in Dhaka killed two persons and injured more than a hundred. Christian priests have been attacked and threatened in different places across the country. Attacks by miscreants have also injured and killed police officials.

People are living with a sense of intense panic in the wake of spate of attacks, killings and threats. Besides, different opinions on these incidents in the country and abroad, and the government’s attempt to consider these as isolated events is intensifying the panic.

Despite the claim by the law enforcement agencies that the law and order situation is completely under control, such incidents are taking place in a series and this is causing people to lose their trust in law enforcement agencies and also the government.

We call on the government to carry out credible investigations into the incidents for identifying real perpetrators and bringing them to justice instead of attempting to blame others or denying that the incidents are connected. This is the only way to earn the trust of people, and once that is achieved, the recurrence of such incidents can be prevented with the assistance of people.