Dhaka, June 5 (IANS) Marking the 25th anniversary of the deadly church bombing in Bangladesh, Catholics joined special prayers and renewed calls for justice, remembering one of the worst militant attacks on the country’s Christian minority.
The deadly bombing at a packed church in Gopalganj district on June 3, 2001, killed 10 Catholics and injured about 50 worshippers attending Sunday Mass, most of them young people.
The banned Islamist militant organisation Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJI) claimed responsibility for the attack, a report has stated on Friday.
According to a report in UCA News, the attack occurred during a period of increasing militancy in Bangladesh, with extremist groups including HuJI and Jamaat-ul-Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB) targeting secular voices, cultural institutions, Sufi shrines, judicial officials and state institutions.
It noted that the investigation into the church bombing has remained at a standstill, as constant changes of investigating officers hindered the progress.
In a statement issued on the anniversary, the Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA), an interdenominational organisation, expressed grave concern over the prolonged delay in justice for the victims and affected families
BCA President Nirmol Rozario said that the Christian community, over the years, held rallies, candlelight processions and submitted memorandums to authorities, yet meaningful action remains elusive.
“For 25 years we have been making the same demands for a proper investigation and justice, but nothing has happened. Unfortunately, it appears the matter has not received the importance it deserves, which is extremely disappointing,” UCA News quoted Rozario as saying.
Recalling the tragedy, Roman Baroi, who witnessed the aftermath of the attack, said the bombing left a devastating impact on many families because several of the victims were young men who served as the sole breadwinners of their households.
“All 10 of those killed were young, and most of them were the sole earners in their families. Their deaths left their families in severe hardship. Many are surviving through farming or temporary work,” he told UCA News.
Baroi said that the years of delay in the judicial process have undermined public confidence in the justice system. “People have lost hope for justice, and the tragedy has left lifelong scars,” he said.
Speaking to UCA News, 72-year-old priest Mimmo Pietanza, an Italian missionary of the Society of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions, who was serving at the parish when the bombing occurred, described the attack as the “most painful incident of his life”.
He said that following the bombing, he persistently called on the Bangladeshi authorities to conduct a fair investigation and ensure justice, but without any success.
–IANS
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