Kishoreganj, July 7 (UNB) – At least four people, including two policemen, were killed and 12 others injured in a bomb attack coupled with an exchange of gunfire after terrorists attacked a temporary police check post near Sholakia Eidgah in Sadar upazila on Thursday morning. The deceased policemen were identified as constables Jahirul Islam and Anwarul Haque, said police super of the district Anwar Hossain Khan. The two other deceased include Jharna Rani Bhowmik, a resident of the area, and an attacker who could not be identified yet. Witnesses said the attackers exploded several crude bombs targeting the policemen deployed near Azimuddin High School adjacent as part of the security measures for ensuring smooth Eid congregation at Sholakia Eidgah. The attack was carried out just after a helicopter carrying Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, who was scheduled to conduct the Eid congregation at the Eidgah, landed at nearby Kishoreganj Stadium around 9:15am. Apart from exploding bombs, the attackers went on a chopping spree, hacking the policemen with machetes, said Deputy Inspector General (Dhaka Range) of Police SM Mahfuzul Haque Nuruzzaman. Before the law enforcers coming in terms with what had happened, the attackers retreated towards a lane. However, additional policemen, and members of Rapid Action Battalion members and Border Guard Bangladesh rushed in and surrounded the entire area. Later, a gunfight broke out between the militants, who finally took shelter in the house of local Awami League leader Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan Babul, and the law enforcers. An attacker was killed during the exchange of gunfire that continued for two hours. Besides, a bullet hit Jharna while she was staying at her residence. Police claimed that the bullet was fired by the militants. After the exchange of shots, the law enforcers recovered the body of a terrorist and arrested another injured one, Abu Mukaddil. They also detained another suspected attacker, Ahsanullah, son of Abdul Hai of the district town. Besides, police detained Awami League leader Babul for interrogation. Police recovered three 9 mm pistols and some sharp weapons during a drive in the surrounding locality immediately after the attack. Meanwhile, a crime scene unit of Criminal Investigation Department visited the spot. The injured were first taken to Sadar hospital from where some of them were shifted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Meanwhile, six of the injured policemen were then airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka for better treatment, Nuruzzaman said. DIG (Media) of the Police Headquarters AKM Shahidur Rahman said around 9,000 members of law enforcement agencies remained deployed in and around the Sholakia Eidgah to ensure smooth Eid congregation. The terrorists carried out the attack while policemen at the Azimuddin High School check post, nearly 1 km off the Eidgah, were searching their bags. The terrorists might have had a plan to carry out a massive attack on the Sholakia Eidgah, he said. Mukaddil, hailing from Ghoraghat of Dinajpur, said at the hospital they were five in number who took part in the attack. He also claimed they do not know each other. Despite the attack, the Eid congregation was smoothly held at Sholakia Eidgah. The prayer was conducted by Maulana Shoyeb Ahmed instead of Maulana Farid Uddin Masud.
