It was almost 12pm last Thursday. Sub-Inspector Bani kept nodding off in his room at Shibganj Police Station but as this correspondent stepped in he woke up with a start.
When this correspondent identified himself as a newspaper reporter he mumbled an apology saying that overnight work made him feel dizzy.
When asked why he had to work round the clock he said a couple of months ago the area was quite peaceful but suddenly it turned restive with Jamaat-Shibir men unleashing a reign of terror.
Just in front of the duty officer’s room an on-duty constable of the police station in a feeble voice said he even did not squeeze out time to take his uniform off before he went to sleep.
“I just went to have a couple-of-hours sleep with my dress on and attended the duty again.”
When he was asked about his day-and-night duty without any respite he said: “All are working hard at the police station as we have to protect our police station its property, arms and ammunition.”
As the discourse went on another constable Rauf came over and said: Please do something for us or else it will be a difficult for us to be on patrol duty where we are numbered but they come in thousands.”
An officer of the police station in return for anonymity said they were not only passing sleepless night in fear of attack but also dared not arrest the activists of Jamaat-Shibir. Even the members of the joint force have not come to help them.
The members of the Joint Force in a drive picked up Jubo Dal leader Salahuddin and soon after the incident, they launched an attack on Shibganj Bazar and set afire the shops. They also killed an Awami League leader, he said in a trembling voice.
Law enforcers have reportedly failed to arrest any Jamaat-Shibir toughs involved in sabotage and killing. Even after a month of Awami League leader Golam Rabbani’s house was set on fire police are yet to arrest anybody in connection with the arson attack.
In the aftermath of another big incident in which Awami League leader Enamul was burnt to death being trapped inside his shop police could do nothing.
Even just a day after the incident local Jamaat-Shibir goons brought out a procession in broad daylight.
Contacted, AKM Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Shibganj Police Station, said the situation was now under control. Asked about the arrest he said the investigating was on and police detained several people but refused to give their names for the sake of probe.
Meanwhile, minority Hindu people of the area are also passing their days in constant fear. This correspondent conversed with Ananda Karmakar for a short while in Karmakar area of Ranihati.
In course of the conversation Ananda said the area full of natural resources has now turned into a valley of death.
Surprisingly not a single soul came into sight in the Shibganj Bazar soon after the sun sank in the west.
“Jamaat-Shibir hoodlums threaten us with dire consequence after each police raid saying that if something wrong happens to them we have to lose our lives,” says Ananda.
As many as 3,000 Hindu families live at Shibganj. Most of them cannot think that Bangladesh is no more a safe land for them.
“They can only take our lives but we will go nowhere,” vowed Saheb Kumar, a student of Sahnewaz Rahmatullah College and residence of Karmakarpara of Ranihati area.
However, Basir Ahmed, police super of Chapainawabganj, said the law and order of the district was under their control.