The government may not be alarmed by the recent crude-bomb blasts, arson attacks and other incidents reported in Dhaka, but ordinary citizens have every reason to be concerned. Any explosion or deliberate fire in a public place creates fear and raises the possibility that an innocent person could become a victim. Therefore, such incidents cannot be treated as routine or insignificant.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Sunday that the government was “not at all worried” about the recent incidents, arguing that those involved in the crude-bomb attacks had been arrested and that CCTV footage was being examined to identify those responsible for arson attacks.
The arrests are certainly encouraging. But arresting suspects after an attack is only one part of the responsibility of the law-enforcement agencies. The more important task is to prevent such incidents from occurring in the first place.
Recent developments suggest that the security situation deserves sustained attention. According to reports, 14 crude bombs exploded at seven locations in Dhaka on Friday, followed by further explosions and vehicle arson in different parts of the capital. Two people were reportedly injured in Jatrabari. On September 20, further crude-bomb explosions were reported near the High Court and Shilpakala Academy, while a bus was set on fire in Pallabi.
These are not incidents that citizens can simply ignore. A city cannot remain genuinely secure if people have to worry about whether a bomb might explode on a road, near a public institution or beside a parked bus.
The authorities therefore need to move beyond a reactive approach. Intelligence agencies and police must identify the networks behind the attacks, establish how explosives are being obtained and used, and determine whether there are organisers directing these activities. Preventive intelligence, surveillance of vulnerable locations and rapid response mechanisms must be strengthened.
At the same time, every arrested suspect must receive due process. Those found responsible through credible investigation and evidence should face prosecution and punishment under the law. Justice must be firm, but it must also be lawful and transparent. Collective blame or politically motivated allegations cannot substitute for evidence in a court of law.
The government has a particular responsibility to ensure that no political group or organisation—whether banned or otherwise—can use violence to create fear, disrupt public life or undermine public safety. If investigations establish that members or supporters of the banned Awami League are responsible for these attacks, they should be brought to justice individually through the established legal process. Political differences must never become a justification for violence.
The government also deserves credit for allowing opposition parties to hold peaceful programmes, as the home minister himself said such activities are part of democratic culture. Peaceful political expression and violent attacks, however, must be clearly distinguished.
The government’s first obligation is to protect citizens. It should therefore take every crude-bomb blast and arson attack seriously—not because such incidents necessarily represent widespread instability, but because even a single preventable attack can cost an innocent life.
Public confidence depends not merely on assurances that the situation is under control, but on visible, effective and lawful action. The message must be unequivocal: political programmes may be peaceful, but violence, arson and attacks on public safety will not be tolerated.
