Staff Reporter :
People celebrated the Eid-ul-Fitr festival with panic and fear as at least four people, including two cops, were killed in a terror attack near Sholakia Eidgah in Sadar upazila of Kishoreganj on Thursday morning.
While the horrors of Holey Artisan restaurant attack in capital Dhaka are still haunting the country, terrors have yet again struck at the Sholakia Eidgah, the traditionally largest Eid congregation site in the country, amid a thick security blanket.
Earlier on June 4, The New Nation carried out a news item quoting an intelligence report that terrors might strike again at anywhere in the country.
The terrorists launched the attack while
policemen at Azimuddin High School check post, nearly 1 km off the Eidgah, were searching their bags.
The fresh terror attack near the largest Eid congregation site sent a wave of panic across the country.
People from all walks of life vowed to resist militancy with coordinated efforts as they celebrated the Eid-ul-Fitr with due religious fervour and festivity, but amid sadness against the backdrop of the brutal killings in the city’s Gulshan cafe.
Millions of devotees gathered at thousands of Eid congregations across the country where they offered Eid prayers and special munajat, expressing determination to fighting militant and terrorist acts.
Over 400,000 people join the prayer on every Eid. Besides, an equal number of participants also take part in the prayer using the fields, roads and courtyards around the Eidgah maidan.
“The terrorists might have had a plan to carry out a massive attack on the Sholakia Eidgah maidan, DIG (Media) of the Police Headquarters AKM Shahidur Rahman said.
Around 9,000 members of law enforcement agencies were deployed in and around the Sholakia Eidgah to ensure smooth Eid congregation.
The attack was carried out just after a helicopter carrying Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, who was scheduled to conduct the Eid congregation at the Eidgah, landed at nearby Kishoreganj Stadium around 9:15am on the Eid day.
Despite the attack, the Eid congregation was held smoothly at Sholakia Eidgah. The prayer was conducted by Maulana Shoyeb Ahmed instead of Maulana Farid Uddin Masud.
“Like me tens of thousands people who had gathered at Sholakia to offer Eid prayers, were trapped in the middle of sporadic gunshots being fired between cops and miscreants,” Mohammad Mainuddin, a habitant of Kishoreganj town said.
The deceased policemen were identified as constables Jahirul Islam and Anwarul Haque, and Jharna Rani Bhowmik, a resident of the area.
One of the attackers, killed during a gunfight with law enforcers, was identified as Abir Rahman, a BBA student of the city’s North South University and son of Sirajul Islam of Debidwar upazila in Comilla, said Police Super of the District Anwar Hossain Khan.
Abir, who used to reside in an upscale area of the capital, had been missing for the last eight months, police said, adding that before getting admitted to the BBA course, he completed his A-level from Bangladesh International Tutorial.
Meanwhile, police arrested seven suspects from different parts of the district in connection with Thursday’s terrorist attack near Sholakia Eidgah. However, police did not disclose their names.
At least five to six activists of militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) equipped with firearms, bombs and lethal weapons launched the assault on cops at a temporary police check post adjacent to the Sholakia Eidgah, Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said on Saturday.
“Militants of JMB carried out the attack,” the IGP told journalists after visiting the crime scene at Sholakia Eid prayers ground.
Replying to a query about the involvement of Islamic State (IS) with the attacks, he said IS claimed responsibilities of every attack wherever it took place.
“None has claimed responsibility of Sholakia attack yet. And we have not got any clue why IS claims responsibilities of every attack wherever it takes place. Even we didn’t find any link between the local terrors and IS,” the IGP said.
When asked about intelligence report on Sholakia attack, AKM Shahidul Hoque said that they had not obtained any information relating to Sholakia attack.
“However, we had obtained intelligence report that terrors may strike again at anywhere in the country,” he added.
Witnesses said the attackers exploded several crude bombs targeting the policemen deployed near Azimuddin High School as part of the security measures for ensuring smooth Eid congregation at Sholakia Eidgah.
Apart from exploding bombs, the attackers went on a chopping spree, hacking the policemen with machetes, said Deputy Inspector General (Dhaka Range) of Police SM Mahfuzul Haque Nuruzzaman.
Before the law enforcers coming in terms with what had happened, the attackers retreated towards a lane.
However, additional policemen, and members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) rushed in and surrounded the entire area.
Later, a gunfight broke out between the militants, who finally took shelter in the house of local Awami League leader Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan Babul, and the law enforcers. An attacker was killed during the exchange of gunfire that continued for two hours.
Besides, a bullet hit Jharna while she was staying at her residence. Police claimed that the bullet was fired by the militants.
After the exchange of shots, the law enforcers recovered the body of a terrorist and arrested another injured one, Abu Mukaddil. They also detained another suspected attacker, Ahsanullah, son of Abdul Hai of the district town.
Besides, police detained Awami League leader Babul for interrogation.
Police recovered three 9 mm pistols and some sharp weapons during a drive in the surrounding locality immediately after the attack.
The injured were first taken to Sadar hospital from where some of them were shifted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, six of the injured policemen were then airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka for better treatment, Nuruzzaman said.
Mukaddil, hailing from Ghoraghat of Dinajpur, said at the hospital they were five in number who took part in the attack. He also claimed they do not know each other.
Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion members recovered two Chinese axes and a machete from where the gunfight took place on Thursday.
People celebrated the Eid-ul-Fitr festival with panic and fear as at least four people, including two cops, were killed in a terror attack near Sholakia Eidgah in Sadar upazila of Kishoreganj on Thursday morning.
While the horrors of Holey Artisan restaurant attack in capital Dhaka are still haunting the country, terrors have yet again struck at the Sholakia Eidgah, the traditionally largest Eid congregation site in the country, amid a thick security blanket.
Earlier on June 4, The New Nation carried out a news item quoting an intelligence report that terrors might strike again at anywhere in the country.
The terrorists launched the attack while
policemen at Azimuddin High School check post, nearly 1 km off the Eidgah, were searching their bags.
The fresh terror attack near the largest Eid congregation site sent a wave of panic across the country.
People from all walks of life vowed to resist militancy with coordinated efforts as they celebrated the Eid-ul-Fitr with due religious fervour and festivity, but amid sadness against the backdrop of the brutal killings in the city’s Gulshan cafe.
Millions of devotees gathered at thousands of Eid congregations across the country where they offered Eid prayers and special munajat, expressing determination to fighting militant and terrorist acts.
Over 400,000 people join the prayer on every Eid. Besides, an equal number of participants also take part in the prayer using the fields, roads and courtyards around the Eidgah maidan.
“The terrorists might have had a plan to carry out a massive attack on the Sholakia Eidgah maidan, DIG (Media) of the Police Headquarters AKM Shahidur Rahman said.
Around 9,000 members of law enforcement agencies were deployed in and around the Sholakia Eidgah to ensure smooth Eid congregation.
The attack was carried out just after a helicopter carrying Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, who was scheduled to conduct the Eid congregation at the Eidgah, landed at nearby Kishoreganj Stadium around 9:15am on the Eid day.
Despite the attack, the Eid congregation was held smoothly at Sholakia Eidgah. The prayer was conducted by Maulana Shoyeb Ahmed instead of Maulana Farid Uddin Masud.
“Like me tens of thousands people who had gathered at Sholakia to offer Eid prayers, were trapped in the middle of sporadic gunshots being fired between cops and miscreants,” Mohammad Mainuddin, a habitant of Kishoreganj town said.
The deceased policemen were identified as constables Jahirul Islam and Anwarul Haque, and Jharna Rani Bhowmik, a resident of the area.
One of the attackers, killed during a gunfight with law enforcers, was identified as Abir Rahman, a BBA student of the city’s North South University and son of Sirajul Islam of Debidwar upazila in Comilla, said Police Super of the District Anwar Hossain Khan.
Abir, who used to reside in an upscale area of the capital, had been missing for the last eight months, police said, adding that before getting admitted to the BBA course, he completed his A-level from Bangladesh International Tutorial.
Meanwhile, police arrested seven suspects from different parts of the district in connection with Thursday’s terrorist attack near Sholakia Eidgah. However, police did not disclose their names.
At least five to six activists of militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) equipped with firearms, bombs and lethal weapons launched the assault on cops at a temporary police check post adjacent to the Sholakia Eidgah, Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said on Saturday.
“Militants of JMB carried out the attack,” the IGP told journalists after visiting the crime scene at Sholakia Eid prayers ground.
Replying to a query about the involvement of Islamic State (IS) with the attacks, he said IS claimed responsibilities of every attack wherever it took place.
“None has claimed responsibility of Sholakia attack yet. And we have not got any clue why IS claims responsibilities of every attack wherever it takes place. Even we didn’t find any link between the local terrors and IS,” the IGP said.
When asked about intelligence report on Sholakia attack, AKM Shahidul Hoque said that they had not obtained any information relating to Sholakia attack.
“However, we had obtained intelligence report that terrors may strike again at anywhere in the country,” he added.
Witnesses said the attackers exploded several crude bombs targeting the policemen deployed near Azimuddin High School as part of the security measures for ensuring smooth Eid congregation at Sholakia Eidgah.
Apart from exploding bombs, the attackers went on a chopping spree, hacking the policemen with machetes, said Deputy Inspector General (Dhaka Range) of Police SM Mahfuzul Haque Nuruzzaman.
Before the law enforcers coming in terms with what had happened, the attackers retreated towards a lane.
However, additional policemen, and members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) rushed in and surrounded the entire area.
Later, a gunfight broke out between the militants, who finally took shelter in the house of local Awami League leader Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan Babul, and the law enforcers. An attacker was killed during the exchange of gunfire that continued for two hours.
Besides, a bullet hit Jharna while she was staying at her residence. Police claimed that the bullet was fired by the militants.
After the exchange of shots, the law enforcers recovered the body of a terrorist and arrested another injured one, Abu Mukaddil. They also detained another suspected attacker, Ahsanullah, son of Abdul Hai of the district town.
Besides, police detained Awami League leader Babul for interrogation.
Police recovered three 9 mm pistols and some sharp weapons during a drive in the surrounding locality immediately after the attack.
The injured were first taken to Sadar hospital from where some of them were shifted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, six of the injured policemen were then airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka for better treatment, Nuruzzaman said.
Mukaddil, hailing from Ghoraghat of Dinajpur, said at the hospital they were five in number who took part in the attack. He also claimed they do not know each other.
Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion members recovered two Chinese axes and a machete from where the gunfight took place on Thursday.
