Editorial
JMB claws hardly blunted
A lot more needs to be done to neutralise them
The bombshell of a terrorist act by a JMB operative in the jaws of police custody, with his associates keeping him company, at a press conference in Gazipur, has definitely heightened concern about the extremists' undiminished capacity to unleash terror at the time and place of their own choosing. That they can show their hand in the unlikeliest of circumstances has been proven once again.
The sheer dare-devilry and desperation, brought to bear on the rueful action of the captive who flung himself on the seized grenades to pull the pin out of one to detonate thereby hurting a dozen including policemen and journalists, should be an eye-opener to the length to which terrorists can go to demonstrate their prowess.
There are precisely two sets of questions that arise in the aftermath of the unprecedented show of claws by the terrorist. The first one relates to the handling of the captives, especially with grenades being on display at a close range from them. Why weren't the grenades kept at a safe distance from them, even allowing for the fact that the police needed to show both the captives as well as the weapons? More importantly, why were the grenades not disarmed before displaying, which is a normal practice? Obviously, in dealing with the freshly netted JMB operatives, a close watch had to be kept; instead, a relaxed and casual approach was taken to the risky part of parading them before the journalists. Quite clearly, the police need to be trained in the best practice of handling terrorists in custody with their cache of weapons.
The Gazipur incident is a ringing wake-up call as to how networked the outlawed JMB has managed to remain despite the execution of its stalwarts through court verdict. In addition to the apprehensions about its second or third tier operatives trying to reincarnate, the appearance of trained female militants on the scene, with one of them taking out a SIM from a cell phone and biting it into pieces in front of the police point to their high skill acquisition and activity levels, which in turn, would raise suspicion about possible international linkages. There seems little doubt that between the time that the JMB leaders were hanged and now the outlawed organisation may have struck some fresh roots.
It is, therefore, imperative that the government shakes off any trace of complacency over the growing terrorist threats, and being fully focussed on the issue, makes its counter-terrorism moves with lot of preparedness, grit and punch. Nothing short of this will ever help contain terrorism.
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