Bangladesh to track missing students after attacks

DHAKA — Bangladesh on Sunday ordered schools to notify the government about truant students in the wake of two deadly attacks by suspected extremists, several of whom were at elite universities but had been missing for months. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on every school, college and university to “create a list of absent students and publish it.” Bangladesh has been reeling from dozens of attacks since the turn of the year, mainly targeting secular activists or religious minorities. “We will be rigorous,” the premier said. “We must uproot militancy and terrorism from Bangladesh.” Three of the alleged militants who participated in an attack on a Dhaka cafe last week, in which 20 hostages were murdered, attended top schools and universities in the Bangladeshi capital. The revelation that the attackers were educated, well-off members of society has sparked fears that militancy has spread far beyond disenfranchised youngsters being radicalized in madrasas. School authorities would now have to provide information on any students who have an unexplained absence of 10 days or more, education minister Nurul Islam Nahid said. — AFP