Holey Artisan verdict

With the verdict delivered Wednesday announcing death sentence to seven militants by the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal, the Holey Artisan attack case of 2016 is nearing its logical conclusion. Barring the defence counsel, people in general, not just the relatives of the murdered persons, hailed the verdict.

While delivering the verdict the judge pertinently observed that the role of none including the mastermind of the attack, the coordinators, the attackers as well as their cohorts could be seen as smaller than the other’s. The attorney general rightly pointed out that the verdict is a strong message to militants of all hue that Bangladesh would not harbour any of their romantic fascination to turn it into a land of extremists.

As a defence lawyer said that he would appeal to High Court challenging the verdict, the family members of the victims as well as the whole nation would have to wait this time. We share the pain and suffering of the relatives of the victims that also include 17 foreigners.

Hitherto unseen in Bangladesh’s history, the attack by militants at the Gulshan café in the capital sent a shockwave not just to every nook and cranny in Bangladesh, but the event drew huge international attention because the perpetrators’ avowed targets were foreigners. Moreover, the attack instilled fear in the mind of people inside the country that extremism was perhaps gaining ground in a peaceful Bangladesh tearing its social fabric.

The government’s swift response to all extremists groups in the aftermath of the attack brought them to their knees and Bangladesh retained its secular and peaceful image. The attack at Holey Artisan took place on July 1, 2016 and Tamim Chowdhury, the mastermind of the attack, was killed on August 27 in that year with two other suspected militants in a Narayanganj gunfight. The law enforcers kept continuing its hunt till then.

But there is an urgency to remain very cautious about these extremists always. When the verdict was delivered in the court, some convicts loudly proclaimed that they did not do any injustice by launching the brutal attack at Holey Artisan and they were smiling in their sheer arrogance. It clearly speaks of the mind of these people: they are calculating and cool headed and can unleash unspeakable horror if left unchecked.

Though they are defeated now, their ideology which is horrid is not. Negligence in efforts to check extremist activities inside the country can be fatal.  

 

Holey Artisan verdict

With the verdict delivered Wednesday announcing death sentence to seven militants by the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal, the Holey Artisan attack case of 2016 is nearing its logical conclusion. Barring the defence counsel, people in general, not just the relatives of the murdered persons, hailed the verdict. While delivering the verdict the judge pertinently observed that the role of none including the mastermind of the attack, the coordinators, the attackers as well as their cohorts could be seen as smaller than the others. The attorney general rightly pointed out that the verdict is a strong message to militants of all hue that Bangladesh would not harbour any of their romantic fascination to turn it into a land of extremists. As a defence lawyer said that he would appeal to High Court challenging the verdict, the family members of the victims as well as the whole nation would have to wait this time. We share the pain and suffering of the relatives of the victims that also include 17 foreigners. Hitherto unseen in Bangladeshs history, the attack by militants at the Gulshan caf in the capital sent a shockwave not just to every nook and cranny in Bangladesh, but the event drew huge international attention because the perpetrators avowed targets were foreigners. Moreover, the attack instilled fear in the mind of people inside the country that extremism was perhaps gaining ground in a peaceful Bangladesh tearing its social fabric. The governments swift response to all extremists groups in the aftermath of the attack brought them to their knees and Bangladesh retained its secular and peaceful image. The attack at Holey Artisan took place on July 1, 2016 and Tamim Chowdhury, the mastermind of the attack, was killed on August 27 in that year with two other suspected militants in a Narayanganj gunfight. The law enforcers kept continuing its hunt till then. But there is an urgency to remain very cautious about these extremists always. When the verdict was delivered in the court, some convicts loudly proclaimed that they did not do any injustice by launching the brutal attack at Holey Artisan and they were smiling in their sheer arrogance. It clearly speaks of the mind of these people: they are calculating and cool headed and can unleash unspeakable horror if left unchecked. Though they are defeated now, their ideology which is horrid is not. Negligence in efforts to check extremist activities inside the country can be fatal.