The ballad of our national tragedy began when the state leadership failed to try, not to speak of exemplarily try, the war criminals, and the collaborators of the occupation forces of 1971. After August 15, 1975 these elements were politically rehabilitated first and then made partners for sharing state power. If the road to state power is much dependent on the anti-liberation forces, the killers of August 15, 1975 and religious bigots, Bangladesh is doomed to have first a failed government, and then be a failed state.

The rule of law began its slide when the parliament of 1979 passed the indemnity act protecting the killers of Bangabandhu and four national leaders in the jail. Before that the Chief Justice of Supreme Court became the Chief Martial Law Administrator. The practice of indemnifying wrong doers was once more repeated for the Clean Heart Operators. Those who applaud such indemnification, political killing and obstruction to rule of law in any form are writing down their own decline as well as that of Bangladesh. The slide got a boost when some of the killers of August 15 were appointed in the diplomatic positions. These people subsequently formed political party and alliance with the religious parties and the parties in power. Some of them were elected to parliaments during Ershad regime and in February 15 elections. Some of these killers have later been tried for killing Bangabandhu but the verdict still awaits final hearing by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

The slide gained further momentum as the university teachers, lawyers, business men, journalists and newspaper editors, retired civil servants and generals by joining the council of advisors of successive military juntas did help in legitimising the juntas to the public. This has undermined the institution of government and democracy in the country and it was a sellout of our soul by the intelligentsia.

The story does not stop there. Now we have an embarrassed Appellate Division who has embarrassed us by being embarrassed to hear the appeal of verdict of the High Court dealing with killers of Bangabandhu. When the highest court happens to obstruct the rule of law, then why not the assassins and goons shall rule us?

Whenever in the past similar murderous attacks took place irrespective of the place and gathering, the government of the day started the blame game to harass the opposition or termed these as internal feud. This has worsened in the past three years. The whiz kid ministers are champions today. Before the investigations had begun the whiz kids through their crystal balls would identify the assassins involved, arsenal used and exact manner how the operation went. The investigations ordered would now follow the findings of the crystal ball.

After August 21 carnage, the following matters and happenings have amply demonstrated that the country has a failed government:

- The condemnation and sympathy offered by the government did not match the performance of BTV immediately after the attack.

- Absence of top officials from police, other law enforcing and intelligence agencies at the attack site immediately after its occurrence

- Police actions immediately after the attack in rescuing and removing the injured and dead.

- Failure of the cabinet high ups to call for actions in absence of the PM being out of the city. They waited for the reaction from the PM to unlock their jaws.

- Refusal of treatment and aids to the injured by some private hospitals and clinics for the fear of being harassed by the police later. Even CMH was no exception. (These hospitals and clinics violated the very foundation of medical ethics by such refusal to provide immediate treatment and aid to the injured. BMA must investigate into it and Human Rights groups file legal against these clinics and hospitals).

- Absence of emergency response from relevant state agencies.

- Incredible dilly-dally in performing autopsy of those killed and handing over the dead bodies to the families.

- Why the burials of those who died in the carnage had to be under the scrutiny of the police?

The refusal by the police officials to accept and document FIR by the Awami League lawmakers and party high up.

- The police by filing two cases together one for the grenade attack upon the rally and the one against the public outrage and unrest that followed the attack have undermined the seriousness of grenade attack upon a political rally to eliminate the leadership of a party including its chief who happens to be the immediate past prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the parliament.

- In three days there have been changes of investigating agencies thrice.

- If a ruling party MP could take oath within 12 hours of a dubious by-election, why the appointed Judicial Commission had not started functioning after four days of its announcement?

- Why were the two unexploded grenades, the evidence of grenade attack, destroyed (to save whom)? The grenades must have carried marks of the perpetrators. The finger print experts could have played a vital role in identifying vital clues plus more sophisticated tests like DNA's from saliva and sweat etc. (if any, who knew) could have provided a wealth of information to the investigators and the commission.

- The police actions on the hartal days of August 24 and 25 amply demonstrated the emptiness of sincerity and sense of purpose of the government.

- When the ministers attempt to justify the dilly-dally in handing over the dead bodies to the families by equating the episode of Noor Hossain during the reign of Ershad, it only reinforces our belief that the instincts of autocratic regime is deep rooted in the genes of today' rulers.

Time is overdue for the people of Bangladesh to stand up united to fight those who are hell bound to unleash terror upon us to destroy our equality, rule of law, freedom, democracy, religious harmony and secularism, social justice and emancipation from poverty. We are not asking for change of guards at the helm of state affairs only, we are asking for a change to realise the spirit and ideals of our freedom struggle. Please realise it, the soul and body of Bangladesh is under attack. Let us unite and fight the evil forces that have besieged Bangladesh to destroy its spirit and ideals. Help us, Almighty!

Dr. AKMA Quader is Professor of Chemical Engineering, BUET.