Part  1  2

 

The Spiritual leader of JMB Moulana Sayekh Abdur Rahman under cease in his Sylhet Residence

 Ajoy Roy 

Published on March 02, 2006

 

Picture

Rapid Action Battalion members set the wheels in motion to flush out JMB kingpin Abdur Rahman from his East Shaplabagh hideout in Sylhet City yesterday, left, the front view of Surya Dighal Bari, the single-storey hideout of JMB chief Abdur Rahman in East Shaplabagh in Sylhet City, top-right, and the deputy commissioner of the district, bottom-right, asks the militant supremo over a loudhailer to surrender and Abdur Rahman

 

Since Morning (1. 03. 06), or may be the last night, an armed mission composed of RAB, local police force aided by civil administration of Sylhet district is being led to arrest the much wanted JMB spiritual leader Sayekh Abdur Rahman, who is believed to have taken shelter in well fortified house in Sylhet room with his wife and children. The police got the information when they arrested one of the top disciple of Rahaman and leader of JMB, third in ranking. On the basis of the information, a combined operation was directed to arrest the wanted leader of JMB whose head-value has been declared by the government as five hundred thousand.  The entire complex has been encircled with thousands of Police and RAB armed with all modern arms and equipment.

 

The police are asking Maulana Rahman to give up as all routes to escape from the house have been sealed off. To test the reaction and existence of living beings RAB used mild tear gas and robber bullets. The force does not want to go into commando operation, which might cause larger causalities, and Rahman might be killed or he himself might kill himself. Psychological pressure is being applied against the leader and his militant companions. The operating Bahini is planning to get into the house by breaking the walls of some rooms or roof. As a result of persuasion, although Rahman did not nor any of his accomplices respond, however his wife Nurjahan Rupa with her younger son, her daughter Alifa with 4-month child Talha anf sons Mahmud and Fuad, and wife of an JMB activist at about 12:30 p.m. yesterday came out of the house and surrendered to the police.  After some time at the instance of Police his wife also appealed to Abdur Rahman to give up himself to the police, but with no avail. Mrs. Rahman said later that she did not know who else are living inside the house being a pardanashin woman. 

 

Police believed that the leader and his companions might have confined themselves in a small room or a bathroom � all of them putting suicidal bombs on their bodies. No sooner the police enters the house they will switch on the explosive devices to explode causing huge explosion demolishing the entire house complex and near by houses.

 

Shayekh Abdur Rahamn has informed the police that as he does not believe in human made laws he is not going to surrender to the police as they are the product man made state machineries. He can only surrender to Allah and none else.  At one time he however wanted to talk to state minister Babar, in charge of home affairs and asked the police to arrange such meetings. He warned further that it would be not an easy task to arrest him. He has large explosives dumped inside the house, which he would use to explode the house and it�s surrounding. Obviously Police is not taking his warnings lightly. The spiritual leader also appealed to the RAB and other enforces to withdraw from the scene and go back as he believes many of the RAB and other members are soldiers of Islam. And they must act to follow the path of Islam. Since Morning of yesterday he has however stopped giving sermons to the law enforcing units.        

 

Apparently police is bewildered what to do. How long the police would continue fortification is any body�s guess. But it seems that during the night they are not going to lunch a major assault against the JMB leader.

 

The house in question is a one storied building owned by one Mainul Haque, who usually lives in London. The house has a beautiful name �Surya Dighal Bari.� Which was rented to one Hridoy Chowdhury on the recommendation of a local commissioner, said Mr. Mainul Haque, who arrested by the police yesterday. Since when Abdur Rahamn and his JMB companions took shelter in the house it is not clear. Some 1000 strong men composed of Police, RAB and BDR sprang on to action based on the information obtained from an arrested JMB leader at Baitul Mukarram that Abdur Rahman is hiding in the locality Shaplabagh in Sylhet town.

 

The operation force split into three groups before coming to the house in question started their mission at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday (28th February 2006) by searching as many as 40 houses in the area spread over Tolagarh, Shaplabagh, Bramhanpara, Mirapara, � . Finally a RAB team arrived at the Surya Dighal Bari, located at Shaplabagh Road #2 at 9 p.m. and knocked at its entrance without any response from inside. The team went back to search other houses before it came again at 12-30 morning (Wednesday). The team entered the compound and knocked again. A man (30) with a sword in his hand appeared inside a grilled verandah and shouted �Naraye Takbir� and then vanished inside. The team confirmed that JMB leader must have been hiding here. The entire house was then cordoned heavily with forces.

 

Ajoy Roy

Dhaka, March 2, 2006

Next ...

  

Part  1  2