Noted academicians, jurists and rights activists have demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators of the recent communal attacks across the country.
A total of 47 citizens including Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, Barrister Amir-ul Islam and former adviser to a caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan in a joint statement issued on Friday strongly condemned the recent attacks and vandalism on the Hindu temples, Durga Puja venues and houses at different parts of the country.
They assert that those who are directly or indirectly involved in these incidents oppose the establishment of social equality in the country, and on the other hand, are an extreme threat to freedom and sovereignty.
In order to bring these perpetrators to justice, they demanded that the government immediately identify them and take appropriate action. They also demanded adequate compensation for the victims of these incidents.
The law enforcement had a responsibility to play a proactive and responsible role after the first attack in Comilla. In spite of this, more communal attacks took place across the country. The local administration and the law enforcement agencies cannot avoid responsibility for the attacks, they said.
“Following these reprehensible acts of violence, we are extremely concerned that our major political parties have resorted to the old practice of blaming each other instead of uniting against communalism. We urge the politicians to refrain from engaging in such irresponsible activities,” says the statement.
Many communal attacks have taken place in the past, but justice has never been served. These incidents continue to take place due to the culture of impunity, they observed.
