4-day Raid in Sylhet: Locals face hard times

People living in the surrounding areas of the militant den at “Atia Mahal” in Sylhet city were passing hard days after authorities cut off power and gas connections there to facilitate the raid on the hideout.

Restriction on movement also put low-income people, especially the day labourers, in some of the areas in great trouble as they could not look for work outside.

Not sure when the situation would improve, many people were seen leaving the areas with their belongings yesterday, looking for shelter.

“We live from hand to mouth. We can't live this way. We need to survive,” rickshaw puller Rajab Ali who was heading for his village home in Sunamganj along with his family members told The Daily Star while leaving his home in Jainpur area.

“My children would have to starve if we stay here any longer. We had to buy food from outside as there has been no gas for the last two days. But we can't afford this anymore,” he said, adding they would come back when things would be normal again.

Repeated bangs of grenades and sound of gunshots from Atia Mahal also traumatised the children, whose schools remained closed.

People of the neighbourhood bring in food from their relatives' houses as the authorities cut power and gas connections in the area during the raid. Photo: Amran Hossain, Sheikh Nasir

“My son is just seven. He is too young to take this. He is in panic all the time. The ground shakes every time there is an explosion,” said Debnath, who was deserting his home in nearby Pottopara area to stay in one of his relative's home in another place of the city. “We are so scared that we can't sleep at all.”

Visiting Jainpur, Pathanpara, Bandarghat, Poitapara and neighbourhoods, these correspondents saw similar scenes.

Bodies of four militants, including a woman, were found inside the den at the five-storey building in the city's Shibbari area at the end of the army-led operation there for yesterday, which was the fourth day of the raid aimed at flushing out militants holed up inside.

The power connection was cut off barely six hours after police cordoned off the building early Friday. The gas supply was snapped the next morning.

A primary school there remains closed. Photo: Amran Hossain, Sheikh Nasir

The district administration imposed Section 144 -- a ban on gathering of more than four people -- in the five kilometre radius around the building hours after two bombs exploded on Saturday night near the den, killing six people, including two police officials.

The authorities also restricted entrance of people within a radius of one kilometre around the building.

There had been intense firing and bombing inside the militant hideout and the army yesterday said the drive would continue.

Asked about public sufferings, Rokonuddin, additional commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, told reporters yesterday, “We are suffering too.  We are doing this [the raid] for people's safety.”

“…It is coming to an end. May be it would end tomorrow [today]”.