The New Nation - Internet Edition

BANGLADESH has dismissed an allegation that a Bangladesh-based extremist group was involved in the recent serial bomb blasts in Assam in which 77 persons were killed and about 300 others injured. Such mindless killing of people is very shocking. Terming the killing a cowardly act of terrorism, the Bangladesh government condemned the incident and expressed deep sympathy for the victims. But a section of Indian media brought the above allegation without producing any evidence. A similar allegation was hurled against Bangladesh also in the recent past.

It is known to all that there has been a heightened racial tension in the Indian State of Assam since the 1970s. The racial hatred often flares up into bloody clashes between Assamese people and the Bangla speaking settlers. In an ethnic clash in October at least 55 people were killed and over two lakh others displaced. Thousands of people reportedly died in separatist violence in the past decade in the region. Bomb blasts have become a public security threat also in Bangladesh since the closing years of the nineties. The security forces here managed to track down some of those responsible for making and exploding bombs. A number of them have been given capital punishment. It was hinted that such elements had foreign sponsors.

While not elaborating more on this, it can possibly be said with sufficient justification that Bangladesh has no territorial ambition to fulfil by engaging terrorists to destabilise the north-eastern states of India. Then what could be the purpose of the alleged involvement of Bangladeshi nationals in the attack! Analysis of the developments in Assam and elsewhere in India probably points to the need for going deep into the causes behind those bomb-blasts to find realistic solutions. There is nothing to gain from blaming a friendly neighbouring country, which cannot afford to be in a state of war with its surrounding states.