Target movie theatres

Roving Correspondent, Natore

Cinema halls were the targets of terrorists nearly a year ago.

In January this year, a powerful time bomb was found for the first time on the first floor of the Rosy Cinema Hall in Natore town. Natore police then defused the bomb then but are yet to get any clues to who had planted the explosive device and why.

On the same day, two similar bombs were discovered at two other cinemas at Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj. Both the cases have so far remained unresolved.

On the night of May 1, an explosion in the Kiron Cinema Hall and subsequent stampede left a schoolboy killed and some 25 others injured at Catchkoir in Gurudaspur upazila in Natore.

However, the authorities did not investigate the incidents and no measure was taken to avert such incidents in future.

"The spate of bomb blasts in cinema halls is quite a new phenomenon in the country. It needs to be seriously dealt with as some organised groups with a countrywide network are involved in it," a top police official said preferring anonymity.

The perpetrators of such incidents in this region did not leave enough clues to be identified. Yet our detectives are trying to find them out," he said.

"Our preliminary findings are that those incidents were pre-planned to scare the cinema-goers but we could not reach any conclusion as we have no further information or evidences regarding the incidents," said a senior police official of Rajshahi range police.

Faruk Ahmed, officer in charge of the Natore Police Station and investigation officer of the incident of bomb blast at the Rozy Cinema Hall, told this correspondent yesterday that the bomb found in the cinema was powerful but its timer was not working.

"It is clear to us that the perpetrators of the incident had no destructive intention but to scare people," he said.

About the Kiron cinema blast in Gurudaspur, Nazrul Islam, police superintendent of Natore district, said police could not make any headway in the Kiron cinema case as no further information or evidences were available.

On September 28, three people were killed and some others injured in two simultaneous explosions at a cinema hall and a circus show in Satkhira. And the latest incident in Mymensingh claimed 17 lives and injured some 200 persons.

After the Mymensingh cinema blast, Rajshahi range police yesterday asked all police stations and police outposts in 16 districts of the region to beef up security at all public places, cinema halls in particular.

From now on the cinema hall owners will be accountable for the security of the cinema viewers, a notice in this regard said.

It also said the cinema owners will arrange a thorough search for bombs or other destructive elements inside the halls. Besides, before the start of every show, the hall authorities will certify that there is nothing destructive in the halls. Plainclothesmen will be on guard at all important public places, it further said.

"We have decided to hold the cinema hall owners responsible for such incidents as it is difficult for police to go for checks at the halls before every show...if they (owners) can certify that their halls are secure, they can run the shows," said Anisur Rahman, police superintendent of Rajshahi district.

Replying to a question, Rahman admitted that it was difficult to launch a 'thorough search for bombs' due to lack of metal detectors. There is only one metal detector at every district headquarters in the region, he informed.