Blasts at Hindu temple

We are horror-struck by the series of blasts in the historic Kantaji Temple in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur early yesterday that has injured at least 10 people. The crude bombs, which reportedly were planted on the ground, went off during a jatra (open air drama) at Rash Mela, a traditional religious festival of the Hindu community dating back 500 years which draws as many as two lakh devotees each year, including people from neighbouring countries.

We wonder how these bombs could be planted at such a well-known location preceding a huge religious gathering, evading the watch of the law enforcement agencies. This is a serious breach of security for which relevant authorities must be held answerable.

These blasts are not only an attack on the Hindu community but also on the pluralistic fabric of Bangladeshi society. This act of violence comes just eight days after armed assailants attacked a Shia mosque in Shibganj upazila and 38 days into the bomb explosions at Hossaini Dalan in Dhaka. Two Christian priests were attacked and several others were threatened over the same period, highlighting the increasing vulnerability of minority communities in the country.

We condemn these systematic attacks in no uncertain terms, and urge the government to take immediate steps to bring the perpetrators to justice and tackle the growing intolerance and extremism in the country head-on.

The government, which professes to defend the ideals of secularism and pluralism, can no longer afford to remain unperturbed by these continued acts of terror, which are sustained by bigoted ideologies that are spreading their tentacles at an alarming rate. The time to act decisively is long past.