Joypurhat update

We must say the police have done well, despite their limitations, to unearth various linkages and training centres of the group, which speak of an ulterior motive to bring the country to harm. That should pose a serious concern to social cohesion and national security. The elements have a high level of motivation and an ideological mooring that could propel them to wage a long-drawn battle against their perceived enemies if they are not stopped on their tracks.

What makes one sit up is the finding that the Mujahidin might have been covertly linked to the Jamaat-e-Islami, a component of the ruling four-party alliance. If that were true, the group has made an inroad into the heart of the political system.

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The police should plumb into newer depths of this particular kind of militancy and uncover greater details of how the group has been operating. Obviously, it took time for it to develop such a vast network. The police should also discover the connective tissues between the militants and their sources of logistic support. This might help the law enforcers solve the mysteries behind a series of subversive acts and arms hauls witnessed in the recent past.

The presence of a militant outfit with such firepower is also a matter of great worry when viewed from the standpoint of law and order in general. Obviously, illegal trade like trafficking in arms thrives on the activities of such groups.

The group leaders might have been taking advantage of poverty and illiteracy among people, which make them vulnerable to the machinations of zealots. Their plan has to be thwarted before it is too late.

The investigation on the Joypurhat incident has so far proceeded smoothly as is evident from the information divulged to the press by the law enforcers. We want the government to give full backing to the investigators, as any shortcoming there could exact a heavy price on national security.