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Chopper controversy

Julfikar Ali Manik
Mystery shrouds as to why no helicopter was sent to bring Awami League (AL) lawmaker and former finance minister SAMS Kibria to Dhaka from Habiganj on the night of January 27 as his life might have been saved if given early treatment.
BNP General Secretary Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan has claimed a helicopter was offered but the AL did not respond. On the other hand, the AL denies this claim and Kibria's family challenged it and demanded of Bhuiyan to specify whom the offer was made to. Bhuiyan has not yet responded to this challenge.
An investigation by The Daily Star into this controversy finds that after the January 27 grenade attack, neither the AL leaders nor the local
administration and police had any confirmed information about government offering a helicopter to quickly bring Kibria to Dhaka.
A cross-section of people in Dhaka and Habiganj say the AL leaders started for Dhaka taking Kibria in a microbus of a private clinic more than an hour after the grenade attack as they did not get any assurance about a helicopter till then.
The local administration also could not stop the AL leaders from going to Dhaka in a microbus as they were not sure about any helicopterservice.
Kibria attended an AL rally on a school premises at Baidderbazar,
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13 km from Habiganj sadar police station, in the evening of January 27. When he was coming out of the school gate, a grenade exploded in front of him at 7:10 pm and left him critically injured.
Amid a panic- stricken crowd, Habiganj AL leaders picked Kibria in a car and drove him 13 km to Habiganj Sadar Hospital in 15 to 20 minutes. The hospital recorded his admission at 7:50 pm.
At around 7:30 - 7:35 pm, the Habiganj AL leaders requested Dhaka police and the higher authorities through the local police for a helicopter.
"We were told by the Habiganj SP (superintendent of police) that the message was sent to Dhaka," said Shahiduddin Chowdhury, Habiganj District AL vice president. "But he conveyed us no decision on it."
The AL leaders waited there till 8:30 pm.
As Kibria continued to bleed, the AL leaders started for Dhaka in a microbus at 8:30 pm. The local police also did not stop them.
"The local police escorted us up to Dhaka. They could not say anything about helicopter," Shahiduddin added.
The microbus reached Dhaka at around 11:20pm. By that time, Kibria had succumbed to his injuries. An AL leader who was inside the microbus said Kibria was alive for more than two hours after the blast. Probably, he breathed his last at around 9:30pm.
A Habiganj police source notes, " It happened in such a way that it is not possible to say who is responsible for it."
He said when Kibria was taken to Habiganj Sadar Hospital, the hospital was crowded with many other injured people and visitors. Amid the chaos at around 7:30 pm, the AL leaders requested local police to arrange a helicopter.
The local police then contacted the authorities in Dhaka and the authorities said the matter will be conveyed to the higher level of the government. After a while, the top level of the home ministry contacted Habiganj police. The local police once again requested for a helicopter, and the home ministry official said, 'Let us see if any helicop-
ter can be arranged', the source mentioned.
But till about 8:15 pm to 8.30 pm, there was no confirmation of it from Dhaka.
"Police could not stop the AL leaders from starting for Dhaka at that time on the basis of a comment from Dhaka," said the police source. "There was a positive tone from Dhaka but it was not enough. The local police was not sure if a helicopter would be available."
Habiganj Deputy Commissioner Emdadul Haq said when the incident occurred, he was attending a programme at Nabiganj. It was about 63 kilometres off the district headquarters and there was no mobile network available. Besides, he had not been informed of the Kibria's meeting earlier, he added.
"When I came under mobile network on my way to the district headquarters, superintendent of police ranged me and said that he was contacting the government for a helicopter, but by this time the AL men had started for Dhaka with Kibria by road," the DC added.
Meanwhile, another debate has surfaced if helicopters operate at night.
Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) sources said if adequate lights can be arranged at an open space for landing, the BAF can operate choppers at any time of the night. In the recent past, the BAF did this several times and its helicopters stand ready 24 hours for search and rescue missions.
The state minister for home had contacted the BAF chief for a helicopter on that night, they mentioned.
A highly placed source said if the government's initiative was more prompt and timely, it would have been possible to send a helicopter instantly and try to save Kibria'slife.
"By the time a helicopter was made ready, it was too late and the Awami League leaders had left for Dhaka in a microbus," he said. " The government could have at least told Habiganj authorities that a helicopter would be sent."