The report in this newspaper yesterday about how the bloggers are losing trust in the law enforcing agencies regarding their capability and indeed willingness to provide them with the minimum of security is very distressing. When the society or a part thereof loses faith in an institution of the state then it is time for those that run the affairs of the state to act firmly.

The said report has exposed why the matter has come to such a pass that the bloggers are no longer willing to seek the help of the police for their safety. It is indeed a serious matter when they come to believe, rightly or wrongly, that the details of their whereabouts might get to the killers. There is apprehension too that recent comments of police high ups regarding crossing the limit of temperance may in fact encourage the killers. Consequently, some bloggers have found it expedient to seek safety elsewhere outside the country.  

The bloggers have become an endangered species in the country. Regrettably, except for one case, there has not been any palpable development with regards to identification and nabbing of the killers in the rest of the cases. Regrettably too, some extremist elements have been successful in painting the entire community of bloggers as atheists, and attempted to convey, by implication, that atheists are anti-Islam.  

While the society must come together to address the menace, the feeling of insecurity that pervade the minds of the people in general must be removed through immediate and appropriate measures by the police.