Kunio Hoshi killing verdict

In an exemplary show of timely disposal of a case, a Rangpur court on February 28 awarded death penalties to five militants who were involved in the killing of Kunio Hoshi in 2015, a Japanese national who had been living in Bangladesh. Kunio was the second foreigner in Bangladesh to be killed in the same week. The murders had created a sense of panic and insecurity, especially among foreigners, in a country that is known for its acceptance or diversity.

As the trial judge has declared, the murder of Hoshi was a bid to destabilise the country and instil communal hatred based on a perverse interpretation of religion. However, the subsequent arrest of the guilty and the resolution of the case is a laudable accomplishment of the law enforcement agencies and the judiciary.

We applaud the administration in their drive to root out militancy; surely this brings a much awaited sense of relief, trust and security for the foreigners who choose to live or work in Bangladesh. We however feel it necessary to mention that a coordinated role of the security and intelligence forces is required to curb the problem at its roots. The initial reluctance of the government to accept that there was indeed growing militancy in the country, with almost certain foreign ideological links if not sponsorship, instead of assuring the citizens, showed a lack of judiciousness in dealing with the issues. We await a similar disposal of the other cases of militancy under investigation in a prioritised, swift and deliberate fashion. We are surely on the right track to gain back lost confidence.