We are left speechless with horror at the coldblooded killing of Xulhaz Mannan, an official of USAID and rights activist and his friend Mahbub Tonoy, a university student. In what seems like a well organised, targeted assassination, the unidentified miscreants carried out their 'assignment' with precision.

The behaviour and ruthlessness with which the murderers killed and then left the scene shouting religious chants make it clear that they belong to militant groups that are carrying out terror attacks in the name of religion.

Only two days before, a professor of Rajshahi University who had a passion for music, was killed in a similar fashion, indicating that the motives behind the heinous crime were the same.

What is most disturbing is that, except for the Rajib murder case, no other accused has been brought to trial. There has been little headway in the investigations of the murders of writers, bloggers, publishers, religious leaders and terror attacks on congregations of religious minorities. 

The continuous killings of individuals that terrorists deem to not confirm to their particular ideology is a result of the law enforcement agencies' failure to catch not only the assassins who carry out these deadly attacks but also the masterminds who give the orders. Unless those behind the terror are identified and brought to book, it will be difficult to stop these organised killings. 

As citizens we are living in fear and it is the government's duty to allay such apprehensions, especially of the targeted groups, by ensuring a vigorous, investigation and putting an end to the apparent impunity with which these terrorists operate. It is also time for us as a society, to retain our traditional values of tolerance and social harmony and resist bigotry that manifests in terrorism.