Frankly, the identity of the knife-wielding attacker at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is trivial compared to the actual incident that has seriously raised questions about the security system of the country's busiest airport. It is a matter of grave concern that such an incident -- in which a member of Bangladesh Ansar force was killed -- could take place somewhere as sensitive as an international airport.
The lack of satisfactory security arrangement inside the airport is also a matter of international concern. The governments of Australia and the United Kingdom banned direct cargo flights to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport due to concerns for security. The knife attack has exposed a lacking in the Bangladesh's airport security. At a point of time when maximum efforts are being made to prevent the rise of ideologically-motivated terrorism after a row of militant attacks, this recent knife-wielding assault at the airport is a testament to a policy failure of the security system.
Moreover, an assortment of security agencies such as the Police, RAB and the Ansar are responsible for keeping the airport under surveillance. It is astonishing how a young man, armed with a lethal weapon, entered the airport entrance driveway. Since he was walking around by wielding his knife, how is it possible that it was not spotted on the close-circuit cameras (CCTV)? Why could no one find his body language unnatural? These questions need to be answered.
The airport incident has revealed the inefficient, weak and obsolete features of the airport's management structure. There was no ambulance, let alone a car, to take the wounded Ansar member Sohag Ali to the nearest hospital. He was instead rushed to a hospital in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw with the help from the passengers and bystanders. Had he been taken to hospital in a properly-equipped ambulance, he probably would not have succumbed to his injuries. It is inexplicable that the airport's emergency medical care does not exist in reality.
Furthermore, the airport is a gigantic mega-structure and covers a broad area. Apart from the passengers, there are countless personnel working there. Obviously, accidents and emergencies may occur without prior knowledge. It is beyond our understanding that the country's busiest airport even lacks the basic facilities to transport a wounded person to hospital. The government should acknowledge the dire need for adequate management and security measures at a state-run installation as sensitive as an international airport.
Nabil Azam Dewan
Lalmatia, Dhaka
[email protected]
