Satkhira: a completely devastated locality: rtnn.net
Satkhira: a completely devastated locality
23 December,2013
RTNN Report (Dhaka): According to a report published in
Daily Manabjamin, an influential Bangla national daily, Satkhira has turned into a wreck following the 3 day operations conducted by the joint forces. The circumstances are such that upon visit one might be driven to think that earthquake had taken a toll on the locality. One has to see to believe; places caught on fire, the air thick with hue and cry of the local people.
The people are moonstruck losing their belongings; their clamoring have given the place an ill face. Thousands of people have lost their home; their sole refuge. Just at the sight of the joint forces people start running. Even the women, child and elderly were not left out. During nightfall younger people are trying to escape to safe places.
Arson attacks are taking place every night. Arson and looting of houses taking place every now and then.
There’s more trouble to it. During the tenure of the current government, 216 cases were filed against the Jamaat-Shibir, BNP and its sister party leaders-activists on various occasions. In these cases 4500 leaders-activists were charged as convicts. Plus 73,977 more were marked as unidentified convicts. 1,449 leaders-activists were arrested following these cases.
The people of Satkhira have become completely helpless losing their last refuge giving in to the ravages by the joint forces and the Awami party activists from 16 December to 19 December.
On one hand they are living the life of a fugitive on the other they are impoverished losing their homes and occupations now living under the open sky in this cold winter with their family with every reason to feel insecure.
Even their relatives are not being able to reach them, nobody to help them with food. Many had to face the wrath of the police and Awami cadres trying to find the whereabouts of their bloodlines. On the whole the protectors have taken the role of the spoiler in this border district of the country.
Even the human rights activists can’t contain the images of torture and repression. And the journalists do not dare to manifest the actual scene of the country for the lack of security of their lives.
Fact findings suggest that Satkhira, which is a coastal area, was affected by the cyclone Aila on 25 May, 2009. Gabura of Shyamnagar and Padmapukur union were wrecked by the cyclone. The people of the locality are living a poor life following the aftereffects of the cyclone.
Before the people could recover from the damages they have been afflicted by the rampage of the joint forces and the Awami party cadres and activists. Since the night of last 15 December, 57 have been held up following the operations in different upazillas who all happen to be leaders or activists of BNP, Jamaat-Shibir. During the expedition 7 have been killed including Jahangir Morol, Saheb, Babu of Jamaat.
Satkhira district Jamaat amir former MP Principal Mawlana Abdul Khaleq and over hundred more leaders-activists of BNP and Jamaat had their homes destroyed by bulldozer and burnt down.
In the last 11 months 33 leaders-activists of BNP-Jamaat and 27 of Awami League had been murdered. In order to avenge the murders the followers of Awami League had unleashed destruction in different areas of the district.
Recently, people of 7 upazillas took to the street to observe all the programmes announced by 18-party alliance. They were determined to make the blockades a success separating Shyamnagar, Kaliganj, Debhata, Ashashuni, Tala and Kalarowa from the town district.
As a result, the government ordered the joint forces to perform operations in this area. Azizur Rahman, the district publicity secretary of Jamaat claimed that these raids were conducted to wipe out Jamaat-Shibir activists from the area.
The local people complained that the Awami party cadres have continued their rampage in the area along with the police torture on BNP leaders-activists.
The Awami League party leaders were forced to leave certain areas by the protest of the people. They are not taking part in the attacks on BNP-Jamaat-Shibir with joint forces. Even the Jubo League and Chatro League are sometimes seen carrying arms of the police who are regarded as their accomplice in these operations.
Satkhira district publicity secretary of Jamaat informs that 216 cases were filed against them during the tenure of the current government. 4,500 were enlisted in these cases and 73,977 unknown people were convicted. 1,449 leaders-activists have been arrested and 282 are in jail.
The people of the locality informed that from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning 5 shops of hindu owners were burned down by Awami League cadres including Jagdish, Tapos, Biswanath, Indrajit in Choumuhoni, Mokundpur, Faridpur, Shreedhorkathi, Hogla villages of Bishnupur union of Kaliganj upazilla and Gobindpur, Vodrokhali village of Kushliya union. The damage is worth TK20 crore, said the families of the victims. During the arson attack brigade was not allowed to enter the area.
Besides, in Bisnupur union 12 homes and 27 shops, and in Kushalia union 19 homes and business units were burned down and looted.
Local people further complained that, side by side the combined forces, the activists of AL launched vandalism at the instructions of Abu Taleb and Sayed Mehdi, the Upazilla Vice-Chairman under the leadership of Upazilla AL President Ohiduzzaman.
They also said in the complaint that the combined forces did not let the villagers enter into the village while looting and arson were going on all through the night. Even the fire fighters were not allowed to check the inferno. The only shelter of Mizanur Rahman, Abdur Rashed, Abdul Hakim, Babu and Nini Begum have been burned down in this village. When journalists expressed their willingness to come to the village contacting the joint forces over phone, they said that the agitated people are doing all of these.
Shefali Begum, a university student of Batna village of Ashanshuli, has said that the joint forces and AL activists entered the village chanting the slogan "Naraye Takbir Allahu Akbar" (a slogan usually chanted by activists of Jamaat-shibir or other Islamist parties ). Hearing this, as the people came out, they were surrounded by them, some were shot dead and some were taken blindfolded. I don't know what happened to them. The people wounded cannot go to the doctors in fear of being arrested. The young females of the village are compelled to take shelter in the houses of their relatives in order to protect their honour. Those young women who don’t have shelters are sacrificing their chastity to save their lives. She further said with anger that she had heard about the atrocity of the Pakistan army during the liberation war, but now she is witnessing the same barbaric persecution to be happened in an independent country by the government forces and the activists of the government party. She lamented as saying that when we shall describe this scenario of atrocity to our next generation, obviously they will take us to be the people of primitive age.
Mahbubul Kabir, the SP Satkhira zone avoided questions how the cadres of AL managed to launch vandalism rendering thousands of people homeless, killing numbers and injuring scores amid the operation of joint forces.
But the acting in-charge of Kaliganj thana Ali Azam Khan said that whose houses and business institutions have been burned down, once used to rule over the area for long. The agitated people just satiated their wrath by burning and looting their houses and business institutions. When asked if there were any Awamileague activists with the joint forces and agitated people, he himself became agitated and said, now the time has come to repay their debt once who used to rule over the area. That is what the people are doing; nothing more than this. In response to a question of vandalizing and arson to the houses of Hindu communities in Choumuhuni last night, the officer held Jamat-Shibir responsible for this. He said that the agitated people are burning their (Jamat-Shibir) houses for this reason and questioned in return, "what we have to do with this?'
According to reports, 10 were injured including an OC and a constable in a conflict between the joint forces and Jamaat-Shibir in Gorer Math village of Kushlia union of Kaliganj upazilla in Satkhira.
The Kaliganj thana OC Ali Azam said that the joint forces had initiated their operation after 22 December noon to catch the suspect of the murder of Awami League Bishnupur union chairman Moslem Uddin.
At one point when they reached Gorer Math they were faced by the picketing of Jamaat-Shibir activists. In reply when the joint forces started shooting a Shibir cadre was shot and taken to the hospital by the police.
OC Ali Azam and police member Shariful Islam also got injured by bricks in the process. But the local people dismissed his claims remarking them as hilarious.
They claimed that in the name of operation the joint forces joining in hands with Awami party cadres ransacked the houses of innocent people. They also assaulted many innocent persons.
Even the housewives couldn’t escape their beating. Following these events the local people built a resistance against them. They started throwing bricks. The joint forces tried to dismantle them by shooting at them.
