Attackers unknown in neighbourhood

Nine suspected militants killed during the police raid yesterday at road 5 in Kallyanpur were unknown to locals interviewed in the neighbourhood. The Dhaka Tribune asked some of the neighbours of the house that was raided regarding any information they had regarding the militants, but no one was able to identify the militants. “We heard that new tenants arrived on July 12, but we did not get a chance to talk to or meet them. We only heard today (yesterday) that they were militants,” said a tenant of the same building, requesting not to be named. The other tenants in this building do not even know who they were, or whether they were acting suspiciously or not, he added. “Eight cops knocked at our gate and asked us not to come out. The police informed us that there were militants inside the building opposite us. After the Fazr prayers, police ordered us to open our gate for their movement,” said Jalal, owner of a neighbouring house. He added that about a year back, police officials conducted a drive of the building because of bachelor tenants living there. “The local people have asked the owner (of the building) to check relevant documents before renting flats to bachelors, but we do not know whether he did it or not,” he said.

Police asked people not to come out

Locals living in the vicinity of the building on road 5 were asked not to come out, and to keep windows and doors shut, while the police prepared to apprehend the suspected militants. Almost all the locals on road 5 were asked by police at around 1:00am to follow instructions. Shuvonkor Majumder, who resides in a building adjacent to the raided building, said that two policemen came to his house and asked them to stay inside. “Keep the door and windows closed. Do not look outside,” he said, quoting the police officers.

A horrifying night

Many residents of Kallyanpur failed to sleep the whole night due to fear and anxiety, while some woke up from their slumber, hearing constant noises of gunshots. “It was a night in hell. The entire shoot-out took place just 2-3 buildings away. I have never heard these sounds of gunfire and bombs. As dawn arrived, the firing became much more scarier,” Sadman Bin Alam, a resident of Kalyanpur, shared on social media. SH Debashish posted: “...heavy sounds of firing. We are very frightened. The police are not allowing us to go outside.” A mother residing at a nearby building said her 3 year-old daughter could not sleep yesterday. “She was crying out of fear while every gunshot was fired. The frightening sounds put her in a state of constant panic.”