The use of homemade lethal weapons, including cocktails, has increased in an alarming rate in any sort of violence in Chandpur.
Miscreants did not even hesitate to bring out their guns and other weapons whenever they deemed it right, locals said, and alleged that even the political activists, both from the ruling and opposition parties, used such locally-made weapons during the current volatile political situation of the country.
In the last three days of the opposition enforced 60-hour countrywide hartal, at least 150 cocktails were reportedly exploded at different parts of the city that triggered panic among the residents of the district.
Though these weapons had already claimed many lives, the authorities seemed quite relaxed in taking any steps in this regard.
At least 50 incidents of violence were reported to take place at Chandpur city in last one year, but lawsuits were hardly filed with the police stations.
Local sources claimed that over few thousand local weapons were in the possession of many city-based BNP and Awami League groups. Political cadres and depraved youths were seen carrying the weapons to show their strength in last couple of years.
Surprisingly, law enforcers repeatedly failed to recover arms after conducting raids following large-scale violence.
Apparently it seems that nobody except the arms users know where exactly the weapons are coming from. It is learnt that the criminals hide the arms in the bushes or beneath the ground adjacent to their houses.
According to local sources, many areas including Boubazar, East Sriramdi, Refugee Colony, Momfactory area, Ronagowal and Maddhya Sriramdi have almost become favoured sanctuaries for these criminals. They even rent their arms, they added.
Chandpur municipality Mayor and city Awami League President Nasir Uddin Ahmed claimed that even though the criminals and trigger-loving youths were being sheltered by some political parties, in reality they do not belong to them.
Acknowledging that the use of locally-made arms have become common phenomenon, Officer-in-Charge of Chandpur sadar police station Mahbub Morshed said they would soon take initiatives to recover the weapons.
