Editorial
The wrath on Jatra
Too tendentious to overlook
There have been at least six bomb attacks on village fairs or jatra shows in the northern districts of the country over the last two months. The attackers seem to be working to cut off the people from their traditional cultural moorings. They are prepared to go to any length to achieve their goal. Suddenly it appears that some people are trying to change the cultural course of rural life. This is certainly an ominous development for society as a whole. The attackers cannot be allowed to pursue their ill-conceived mission which seeks to destroy a folk culture form handed down from generation to generation. Their activities are not only a cultural affront but could also breed divisiveness and chaos in rural life. The issue also has a bearing on law and order as the attackers are using bombs and other small arms. The assault points to the dangerous proliferation of small arms in the country with some ulterior motives. This is something that the law enforcers must combat with a sense of urgency. Now, who could possibly be the perpetrators of such crimes against folk culture and its adherents? Some men having been caught with bomb-making materials earlier on reportedly admitted to having links to a fanatic militant group. And the suspected attackers are believed to have been associated with the infamous leader of the JMJB which is a self-styled vigilante group operating in North Bengal. Going by such indications, militancy of the obscurantist kind might have been the driving force behind the attacks. Let's have a thorough investigation into the tendentious attacks so as to get to the bottom of them and bring the real culprits out in the open for punishment.
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