Men flee their villages to avoid arrest in Gaibandha

Male members of two villages in Gaibandha’s Sadullapur upazila have gone into hiding following police raids in connection with a case over an attack on law enforcement.

Sadullapur police station Sub-Inspector Anwar Hossain filed the case against 286 people, mentioning 136 names, on the charge of carrying out an attack on police following a road accident.

Police are conducting frequent drives in Tarafbajit and Hamindpur villages to hunt for the accused, forcing the men to flee their homes to avoid arrest.

Tensions are running high in the area.

Visiting these villages on Sunday, this correspondent found no men in any of the houses. Many of the houses were locked as the residents fled to their relatives’ places to avoid arrest.

Rulia Begum of Tarafbajit village said police are raiding houses several times a day and vandalizing doors, windows and other belongings of the houses upon finding no men.

“They are now bullying the women and threatening to arrest them,” she said.

Two other women, Ayesha Begum and Afroza Banu, also echoed Rulia.

“Police tried to break own the gate as we were taking too long to open it,” Afroza said.

But Sadullapur police station OC Arshadul Haque denied the allegations.

“Police are making sure that no innocent person is harassed during the raids.”

Many people have fled, shutting their shops.

Local shop owner Raju Mia said he had to shut down his business fearing arrest. “We cannot even stay at home. If the situation continues we will incur a huge loss.”

Meanwhile, there are allegations that police have arrested people who are not involved in the incident.  

Police have so far arrested 14 people, including Jatiya Party’s upazila unit leader Rezaul Karim Reza, Swechchasebak League local leader Eshraful Kabir Arif and local business leader Shafiul Islam Swapan.

Local businessmen said Swapan was in his shop during the attack on police.

On Friday, a car carrying local union parishad (UP) Chairman Nuruzzaman Mondal hit an elderly woman in the upazila’s Naldanga area.

Enraged locals assaulted the UP chairman and tried to vandalize his car.

As police rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control, locals also attacked law enforcement members.

 Two policemen were injured in the attack.