THE tragic tale of death, blood and severed limbs enacted at the Ahmadiya Jamaat Khana (Kadiani mosque) in Khulna during Juma prayers generates disdain because of the pernicious perpetration, and fear because it augurs ill. The act of cowardice and brutality could be ascribed to a sectarian machination. Not quite unrelated perhaps is the recovery of powerful explosives with "suspected” timing or remote control devices from a mosque at the city’s Mirpur area and also from the office premises of the Daily Janakantha.

The string of events, whether coincidental or part of a sinister machination, bears an ominous message: maybe, an ultra-religious or a terrorist group is out to upset the unique socio-cultural equanimity and communal harmony the country enjoys. Worse still, the nature of explosion in Khulna and recovered explosives and their accessories imply presence of Influential individuals in the sinister machination.

The home ministry’s instant reaction to the incident. tight-lipped as it is, reflects the gravity of the situation. Obviously, it is, as we all are. confounded by the incident and its implications on socio-political stability. However, it seems to have drawn a conclusion that explosion in Khulna and recovery of powerful explosives in the capital on the same day may have been coincidental. At least, that is what the announcement of separate bodies to Investigate the incidents leads one to believe. We hope. too. that there isn't any link between the two; but what if there Is? Would it not be wiser to eliminate the possibility of a linkage upon finding supportive evidence rather than discarding the idea outright?

Early this year, a powerful explosion at the Udichi Sanskritlk Goshthl function in Jessore had | left eight people killed. Many believe the I explosives were planted at the spot beforehand and I detonated with a remote control. In this case, too, t here appears to have been the use of either remote control or timing device. Also, there are speculations that the explosive recovered from the Janakantha office is an anti-tank mine. The terrorists, if we call them terrorists without politically branding them, were equipped with sophisticated gadgets, so it seems. How did the criminals get hold of them? Were these not smuggled into the country? There are certainly questions to ask and find out answers to. To that end. first and foremost, the home ministry must go beyond treating the incidents as mere breach of law and order.

While condoling the deaths and empathising with the bereaved families, we urge the government to ferret out the fanatical brutes without malice and pay them their dues. Exemplary punishment for the criminals should be a deterrent to recurrence of such heinous acts.