Dhaka Metrpolitan Police apparently has as many as five of its personnel from the security section on regular duty for providing security to the ex-president with change of guards at three-hour intervals. Not only that the guards also have a rest room at the back of the house. Fire service promptly came on to the scene and extinguished the blaze. A senior fire service official later in the afternoon stated that the fire could not have been caused by a faulty gas connection or an electrical short circuit.

Admittedly, it is for the relevant law enforcing agencies of the government to investigate the matter but the incident raises some serious questions about the overall state of the security of life and property of our citizens at large. We wonder if this is the level of security we have for an ex-president and his family, then what security is there for citizens of lesser calling?

Dr. Chowdhury later at a press conference said that he was being threatened with life for the past few days prior to the incident. The government needs to act on the case promptly and with utmost sincerity to get to the bottom of the tragic incident. The investigation by no means should be of a nature that usually gets stuck in the groove of a routine enquiry instituted traditionally headed by a senior police officer or a senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs.