Editorial
Minorities under attack
Time for the political parties to act
Bangladesh is a country of time-tested religious harmony and we shall not allow that to be tarnished at any cost. Regrettably, we are witnessing yet again violence against minorities. This time a Hindu community of Bonogram Bazaar of Santhia upazila in Pabna, was the target. The alarming aspect of the incident is that like Ramu, the perpetrators resorted to rumor-mongering on a religiously sensitive matter to generate public passion.
This area had never seen communal violence after liberation. Thus, while the intelligence agencies should go into the why and wherefores of the matter, we need to remind ourselves of the obligation of the society and the state towards the minorities.
Moreover, election is round the corner, and, needless to say, often it is the minorities that bear the brunt of any backlash during and after election. The ruling coalition has consistently expressed their commitment to the security of the minorities. And only recently, Khaleda Zia went so far as to stress that there were no 'minority' in the country and has affirmed her obligation to ensure the safety and security of all segments of the society.
Therefore, given the commitment of the political parties, we feel that it is essential that the AL and BNP come together and implement measures in order to remove fear from the minds of the minorities and restore confidence in the system, particularly by prevailing upon party rank and file to refrain from politically exploiting the minorities. They must also help to build awareness against the motivated and dishonest use of the social media.
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