We are relieved that the Rajiv killing case has been brought to a conclusion in fairly quick time. The Shahbag activist and a secular blogger was hacked to death in February of 2013, and it was quite encouraging to see the agencies promptly arrest the killers including the head of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, the extremist group that carried out the killing, and complete the legal process of the first such case in less than three years. 

It is alarming to see the way some of the secular activists had been targeted by the extremists since then, capping in five blogger killings in 2015 only, and two of those in one day.

These were very well planned murders carried out by trained operatives. It is thus a matter of regret and concern, that except for this particular case all the other killings have remained unresolved with the murderers still free to carry out further attacks. We are concerned because not only have these groups not been effectively combated, they also are showing the gumption of giving death threats to intellectuals, journalists and professionals.

These extremists are a threat to the very soul of this nation and the sooner the agencies nab them, their masterminds and sponsors, the better will it be for us in this country who value freedom of thought and free speech. But that is one part of the story. There is also need to put up a common front and intellectually counter the distorted and convoluted ideology of the killers. And that will require cutting across party lines and coming on a common platform.