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Living in a death valley

Satkhira AL organiser Nazrul survives Jamaat's killing attempt twice

Shariful Islam, from Satkhira
IT is "fault" was that he was a key organiser of Awami League in Agardari union, a Jamaat stronghold. His family's "mistake" was that they support the AL wholeheartedly. His
"crime" was that he turned down a proposal for him to join Jamaat-e-Islami.
And for these, Nazrul Islam, a son of a freedom fighter, had to pay dearly. Jamaat-Shibir men killed his brother and burnt down as many as
10 houses belonging to him and his family members in five attacks since February 2.
They attempted to kill Nazrul twice - first by shooting at him and the second time by hurling eight crude bombs inside his business establish-
ment. I Ie survived by miracles even though sustaining severe injuries.
Afraid of further attacks, Nazrul, organising secretary of Agardari union AL in Satkhira, has been living in police barracks of Satkhira Sadar Death valley
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Police Station for the last five months.
Sitting on his small bed, 53-year-old Nazrul narrated to The Daily Star the horrifying tale of how Jarnaat-Shibir men had been unleashing terror on him since the war tribunal delivered the verdict sentencing Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to death on February 28 for his crimes against humanity.
"It is better to die than to live a life like this," said Nazrul trying hard to hold back his tears.
"The first attack came a day after the |Sayedee| verdict when around 200 zealots, mostly Jarnaat-Shibir men, swooped on my home and those of my three relatives in Kuchpukur village, shouting'NarayeTakbir, Allahu Akbar'," he said.
The next morning, a false announcement was made using the loudspeakers of four mosques in Kuchpukur and three surrounding villages of Kashempur, Baliadanga and Babulia that police were coming to raid the areas, he went on to say.
The Jarnaat-Shibir men then blocked the road leading to the villages by felling trees and launched a second wave of the attack, torching six more houses belonging to his brothers, brothers-in-law and nephews. Before setting the houses on fire, they looted valuables.
"They even burnt the Quran," he added.
"Sensing danger, we had sent our females and children to neighbours' houses while my brothers and I fled on motorcycles, " said Nazrul.
Though Kuchpukur is hardly five kilometres from the district town, it took several hours for the law enforcers and fire fighters to reach the spot as the roads were blocked in a planned manner.
Around a month later, four criminals, allegedly patronised by Jamaat, shot him on his way home from Satkhira town. He sustained bullet wounds in the abdomen.
And around five months ago, the same group of criminals hurled eight crude bombs inside his fertiliser shop when he, his brother-in law Jahan Ali and elder sister were there. All three sustained injuries and Jahan's right leg had to be amputated from the thigh.
Since the bomb attack, Nazrul had been staying in the police barracks with instructions from police and the local administration.
On December 5, a group of identified criminals entered the houses of his elder brother Sirajul Islam and brother-in law Kawser Ali. They shot Sirajul dead and left Kawser critically wounded.
Kawser made it out alive as he had pretended to be dead under a bed after receiving a bullet in the hand, Nazrul said.
"After the death of my father during the Liberation War, my elder brother brought us up with a father's affection. I wish the criminals killed me instead of my brother," he said fighting back tears.
"I cannot see my wife and children," said the father of three.
Fearing more attacks, he has sent his daughter, who just passed the Secondary School Certificate examinations, to his maternal uncle's home and rented a house in the town for his sons and nephews.
After all these agonising months, Nazrul now is slightly relieved as Habibullah Hobi alias Hobi dacoit, one of the attackers who had allegedly been under the Jamaat's aegis, was killed in a joint drive by police, Border Guard Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion in the district on December 15.
He also expressed his disappointment with the party leaders saying, "They do not even enquire about me."
"I am hiding in a police station to save my life at a time when my party is in power. I cannot think what will happen to me and my family if the government changes," said Nazrul.
The publicity secretary' of Satkhira Jamaat unit Azizur Rahman denied Jamaat involvement in any of the attacks carried out on Nazrul. He claimed that Nazrul was a victim of internal feud ofAwami League.
When asked why there was an announcement from a mosque before the attack, he said mosques were open establishments and that anyone could go in and take control of the microphone.