RAPID Action Battalion (RAB) has busted three militants’ dens and seized huge arms and sensitive documents in recently carried out security drives in Chittagong hills and a residential house in Chittagong city. RAB chief said terrorists could make more than two thousand powerful bombs with it to destroy sensitive establishments and fight hours together with army unit. It could equip a whole battalion of army showing the high mobilization capacity of Islamist outfits such as JMB, Huji, Hizb-ut-Tahrir or Ansar Bangla, which are concentrating in the hills districts.
We are indeed appalled by the breaking of the recovery of the huge arms stocks but it also raises question at the same time where does the government success lie in uprooting militants as the government leaders were persistingly claiming over the past six years. Moreover, question arises when the main accused of the arms haul; which was recovered from a residential flat at Haliswar in the port city is in prison for the past one month, how RAB claims that he is on the run. Another question is that why they are not asking remand to three accused who were nabbed during the arms recovery from the residential flat. We are talking of remand not because we necessarily support it. But because this is done as if it is the normal thing to do in the case of every arrest including that of the political leaders.
Media outlets said that the elite force recovered 150 kg explosives, 76 powerful bombs including 22 improvised explosive devices, 30 kinds of bomb-making materials and 24 shotgun shells. Earlier, they recovered firearms including AK-47 assault rifles and training equipment from a farm located inside forest after arresting some outfits from a Hathazari madrasha. RAB chief claimed an evil force is at work to create an Afghan like situation in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile some quarters are finding close link between arms recovery in Chittagong and blogger Avijit’s killing in Dhaka to say that the rise of militancy in the country is going beyond control. But questions arises if the forces were so vigilant how the killing could take place under the very nose of police, RAB and other security forces who were on duty at the spot.
We would like to say that our security personnel must work professionally to destroy criminal gangs, save the nation and restore peace. They should however keep away from working on perceived threats as dictated by partisan politics.
