Saboteurs have mostly targetted key government as well as private establishments and Key Point Installations (KPIs) in Chittagong in the past few weeks during the indefinite blockade imposed by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
There have been acts of sabotage at different important institutions in the port city and security forces have also obtained information on sabotage plans after detaining some saboteurs, said sources.
Almost every day during the period, saboteurs hurled crude bombs or petrol bombs at least at one government structure or in nearby areas in the commercial hub of the country to damage it and also to create panic among locals.
In the last 14 days, bombs were blasted outside the office of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, the district police super’s office, Chittagong Press Club, Power Development Board office, Awami League lawmakers’ residences and police stations.
On January 27, miscreants reduced important documents at Mirsharai upazila land office to ashes by setting those on fire.
BGB and police in separate operations on February 3 detained 13 people, including seven Chhatra Shibir activists, along with 24 petrol bombs, four crude bombs, lethal arms and bomb-making materials. The detainees were said to have made a plan to carry out a sabotage in the city and two power plants in Hathazari upazila.
Of the seven, Omar Faruk, president of Hathazari College unit of Shibir, gave his confessional statement before court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
“Faruk admitted that 15 Shibir men divided the district into two parts and planned to carry out subversive acts at important public and private offices one by one,” said Hathazari police station Sub-Inspector Shariful Islam.
Chittagong has an international airport, a sea port and 46 KPIs under A, B and C categories out of a total of 394 in the country.
Chief Executive Engineer (marketing) of the southern region of Power Development Board Nazrul Islam said security was ramped up at five power plants under the board while five to seven other private power stations in the district took their own security measures.
“We are alert to any untoward situation and have arranged the maximum protection for our infrastructures,” he added. Chittagong district’s Deputy Commissioner Mezbah Uddin said the authorities of the KPIs were asked to introduce CCTV cameras to monitor people’s activities in order to avert any subversion.
Police have beefed up security at bus terminals and railway stations, said Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Additional Deputy Commissioner (west) Tanvir Arafat.
“Considering the present situation, officials at bus terminals and rail stations have been instructed to keep fire extinguishers to tackle any subversion,” he said.
CMP Additional Commissioner (crime and operation) Banaz Kumar Majumder said about 2,000 additional policemen and six platoons of BGB were deployed in the port city.
“We have already made a list of saboteurs and are carrying out operations to capture them,” he said.
Chittagong district Police Super AKM Hafiz Akhter said intelligence surveillance at key points was tightened.
“Based on intelligence reports, police are also making plans to check sabotage,” he added. l