IN a macabre attack with a hammer, a former college teacher was murdered in her apartment in the capital on Monday. The husband of the deceased and her two daughters were severely injured. This proves once again that a family is not secure even in their own home. 

The victims' relatives suspect that the attack may have been related to the husband's involvement in the stock market business. The attacker, Zahir, was known to the family; so he entered the apartment with cakes and a flower bouquet, a pretence of a belated birthday wish to Sitangshu, a BRTA official and husband of the deceased. Later he brutally attacked Sitangshu and his family members and set the house on fire. 

A few questions stare us in the face. The way the attack was carried out indicates utter dehumanization and insensitivity of the attacker. Secondly, due to frequent occurrence of such grisly murders, there has been a demonstrative effect of a sense of impunity on persons with a criminal bent of mind. Thirdly, it indicates the poor security arrangements in many apartment buildings. 

In the current situation of prolonged political instability law enforcing agencies devote most of their energy and time to tackling oborodh and hartal related fallouts. It seems among the police the political assignments are getting priority over their regular duty of controlling crimes in the society. We urge the government to bring the murderer to book immediately and give him exemplary punishment. Let us not forget that the extremely poor rate of conviction in such crimes encourages their recurrence.