Editorial
Investigating August 21, 2004 tragedy
Justice must be done in this and similar cases
The pressing of charges against 22 individuals, including a former deputy minister and an influential figure in the banned Harkat ul Jihad, last week signals a refreshing new move to bring the perpetrators of the bomb explosions of 21 August 2004 to justice. This new step not only brings to light new information about the background to the crime but also shows up in stark truth the manner in which the course of the investigations into the happening was subverted during the period of the BNP-led four-party government. As many as 24 people, including senior politician Ivy Rahman, were killed on the day at a rally of the Awami League, where the blasts occurred. The explosions left former prime minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina with auditory problems that yet require her to undergo regular treatment.
The charges now filed against the 22 individuals in question are, we believe, a major step toward exposing the heinous conspiracy behind the August 2004 tragedy. At the same time, we note with deep regret that such a well-meaning move toward ensuring justice was not undertaken by those who held political office at the time. Indeed, the government of the day carried the matter to ludicrous heights by wiping out all evidence at the scene of the blasts and also projecting one Joj Miah as the culprit responsible for the tragedy. The fact that involving Joj Miah was a fraudulent and misleading act perpetrated on the people has long since been proved. The manner in which the then minister of state for home played a role in the whole sinister story remains a matter of shame. It was a blatant attempt at a subversion of the process of justice. We also recall the one-man judicial commission set up after the blasts occurred and the invisible foreign hand it mentioned in its report! In short, concerted attempts were made to trivialise the happening and divert the course of the investigations. An innocent young man was nabbed from a cyber café and jailed for a crime he had absolutely no hand in the making of. Insinuations were also made that the tragedy might have been the work of the Awami League itself. Too much time was lost in letting foreign investigators, especially from Scotland Yard, into the country.
It is these sordid realities that must now be put behind us. And that job can be done through ensuring that everyone involved faces justice. The culture of impunity that has so long undermined the rule of law must be reversed and put an end to. Which brings us to the matter of a breakthrough yet to be made in 16 of the 43 cases of criminality registered since 1999. It is mind-boggling that for nearly a decade the criminals who have caused such mayhem and murder have remained outside the bounds of the law. Let speedy action be taken to expose those involved in all these incidents. The goal is simple: let no one in future plan and execute violence and then expect to get away with it.
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