-AL leaders escape to various countries through India
-Brokers from both sides help to escape
After the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government, the low order leader fled alongside higher order AL through the Sylhet border, managing the police and BGB sometimes, and sometimes evading it. Many more are trying to escape. And in these activities, the brokers from here and there are active in collecting money from one place to another.
It is not just that you can escape through the border. Some are being caught by mobs at the border. Death is also happening while escaping.
It has been found that on August 5, the AL government collapsed due to public anger in the movement of students. Sheikh Hasina fled the country. On August 4, many leaders and workers of A League took to the streets with local and foreign firearms. But after a day they went into hiding. In such a situation, they flocked to the border area of Sylhet. They started fleeing the country by managing local and Indian brokers. Former ministers, former mayors, MPs and other leaders of various levels of AL. Each person has to count from Tk 5 to 10 lakh to cross the border through brokers.
It is known that Sylhet's Jaintapur, Jokiganj, Kanaighat, Goainghat, Companiganj and Bianibazar upazilas have a long history of drug smuggling in the country through hundreds of places along the border. But now A League party leaders and activists have used Dana border of Kanighat and Sutarkandi border of Jokiganj as a safe route to escape from the country. Although they crossed the border at Kanighat with the help of local brokers from both sides, a former MP and his followers let the A League activists cross the border in exchange of a large sum of money.
Several local sources have even informed that several leaders and activists were sheltered in the madrasa orphanage of that MP. As Madrasa Orphanage is a religious institution and the former MP has many followers in the area, the locals did not dare to raid. Using that opportunity, the former MP and his followers helped the Awami League leaders and activists to escape across the border.
Talking to several people living in India's Karimganj area, it is known that from the top of the A League, various levels of leaders and activists have been staying there. Some are also staying in hotels. The source said that some people are staying in houses on rent. However, even though they are across the border, they have not been seen in public much. Sitting there, some have migrated to other countries, while others are in visa processing to migrate to other countries.
According to related sources, Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury, the former Minister of State for Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment and President of Sylhet District Awami League, General Secretary and former Chairman of Zilla Parishad Advocate Nasir Uddin Khan, Awami League Central Organizing Secretary and former Member of Parliament Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel, Organizing Secretary and former Member of Parliament of District Awami League Advocate Ranjit Sarkar, Former Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury and former Member of Parliament of Sylhet-3 Constituency Habibur Rahman Habib, Joint General Secretary of Metropolitan Awami League and City Corporation Ward Councilors Azadur Rahman Azad and Bidhan Kumar Saha, District Chhatra League President Nazmul Islam, General Secretary Rahel Siraj and Metropolitan General Secretary Naeem Ahmad, Metropolitan Swechasebak League President Aftab Hossain Khan, General Secretary Debanshu Das Mithu, District Jubo League Joint General Secretary and Sylhet and City Corporation Ward Councilor Jahangir Alam.
Among them former City Mayor Anwaruzzaman and former Member of Parliament Habib are both British citizens. Sources close to them have confirmed that they have already left for UK from India.
It is known that the controversial Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik was recently arrested by the mob at Kanighat border in Sylhet. On August 21, Manik stayed at Atgram of Kanighat upazila. He took the help of local brokers to cross the border in exchange of certain money. Later, he left on foot to cross the border with them last Thursday afternoon. After walking for about 20 minutes, the brokers left Manik in a forest on the border. That night he was alone in the forest. On Friday morning, the brokers informed about sending him to India. However, it did not happen due to the action of the locals.
When Shamsuddin Chowdhury was arrested, Bilal Ahmed of Dona Khadimpara village on the border was at the spot. Narrating the entire incident, Bilal said that the local people got the information that a person was being illegally crossed the Indian border on August 21. But they could not find the truth of the matter. Later came to know that the brokers had left the person in a forest on the Indian border on Thursday. After knowing that, they searched the border area and found a person in the forest in the afternoon. However, the identity of the brokers has not yet been confirmed.
According to several eyewitnesses and BGB sources, local people went to the forest and saw a person lying on a banana leaf. After interrogating him, the locals came to know that he was trying to escape and go to India illegally. But the brokers beat him up and fled with a lot of money. Later the matter was informed to BGB. BGB patrol team members came to the spot in the evening after getting the information through local people. Around 9:30 PM, Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik was arrested and taken to BGB's Dona camp. By then, eager people gathered around the Donna camp.
Naik Subedar Mohibulla of Dona BGB camp said that Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik's identity has been confirmed after bringing him to the camp for preliminary interrogation. After that the matter spread.
Meanwhile, Ishaq Ali Khan Panna, the former general secretary of Chhatra League, died while fleeing to India through the Sylhet border. While escaping to India, he died of a heart attack while climbing the Shillong hills in Meghalaya. This incident happened last Friday midnight.
After the fall of the Awami League government, Panna wanted to escape to India after hiding for some time in the changed situation. He crossed the border and climbed a hill in Meghalaya state's Shillong around 12 pm on Friday. He suffered a heart attack while trying to cross the mountain. He died in this.
However, different information has been found about Panna's death. Some say he slipped and died while climbing the mountain.
Panna entered India through Tamabil border in Sylhet. He died there. Whether it was due to gunshot or stroke could not be confirmed. The family learned that his body was in a police station on the Indian side of the border.
A different source says that Aminul Islam Amin, the relief and social welfare secretary of the newly deposed Awami League, was with Panna while fleeing to India. However, to confirm the matter, Amin's mobile and WhatsApp numbers were found to be closed. Another source says that there was a Jhalkathi Chhatra League leader with Panna. However, no specific information was received from the police in this regard. There was no statement about Panna's body being brought back to the country.
Panna was elected general secretary in the 1994 conference of Awami League's fraternal organization Chhatra League. Panna was nominated by Awami League from Pirojpur-2 constituency in the 2008 elections. Later he had to leave due to 14-party coalition elections.
According to several local sources, smuggling can be stopped at the border, but human trafficking is difficult to stop. Those who escaped risked their lives. Former Justice Manik was caught while on the run. A former Chhatra League leader died while escaping. However, security measures are tight at the border. But manpower is less compared to the area. And those who want to be trafficked, they contact the brokers on both sides and wait for the loophole. And this is basically how some A League party leaders and activists have fled across the border.
Sylhet District Police Media Officer and Assistant Superintendent of Police Samrat Talukder said that it is the responsibility of BGB to patrol the border area. Apart from this, regular police patrols are continuing in the border upazilas. After August 5, various police stations suffered infrastructural damage due to attacks. They are under renovation. Besides, all police activities are continuing.
BGB Sylhet Additional Director (Operations) Major Salahuddin said, BGB patrols are strong on the border. BGB has been given stricter orders to prevent any kind of smuggling and human trafficking. We do not know how those who escaped. We are doing our best to stop smuggling at the border. In addition, regular operations are also continuing.
ZH
