Thousands of attackers swooped in, set fire, and broke the padlocks on prison cells enabling 826 inmates, including ‘militants’, to flee the prison
Published : 24 Jul 2024, 03:15 PM
As student protesters were staging movements demanding reforms to the quota system in government jobs, thousands of people marched on Narsingdi Central Jail, set fires, and broke the padlocks on prison cells, allowing 826 inmates, including nine ‘militants’, to flee the prison. The attackers looted arms, ammunition and food items and also vandalised the prison on Friday.
Initially, the prison authorities and guards tried to stave off the attack, but it became overwhelming and they eventually gave in. Fearing for their lives, they fled alongside the inmates. The attackers even beat some inmates who did not want to flee.
The destruction was still clearly visible at the prison on Saturday and Sunday. Fires were still burning. Brickbats were scattered on the premises and several structures were broken. Authorities said it would not be possible to return the prison to active condition for a year.
HOW THE ATTACK BEGAN
Narsingdi Central Jail is situated next to the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Bholanagar. Students had been staging protest programmes at Bholanagar and the Narsingdi jail intersection for several days.
On Friday, thousands of people were staging protests in the area. However, few of them appeared to be students. Around 4:30pm, that massive group began to march towards the prison.
Firstly, they threw brickbats and petrol bombs. The attackers carried sticks, local weapons and firearms. Initially, the prison authorities and guards tried to put up some resistance. There were some clashes and a few chases and counter-chases.
But at one point, the prison guards retreated. The attackers then broke through the gates at both ends of the prison and set fires. At least four prison guards were severely injured at the time. The guards had little choice but to take refuge inside the prison to save themselves. Although the jail code allows them to open fire if necessary, they did not.
Witnesses said that attackers used spades and other metal instruments to break open the cells and free the inmates. Some of them snatched keys from the guards and unlocked the cells.
The inmates fled the prison swiftly. Among the escapees were nine members of the banned militant outfit JMB and Ansarullah Bangla Team and two were women. Some general inmates were beaten and driven out of their cells when they did not want to leave. Convicts fled the prison wearing their uniforms.
After the guards’ retreat, attackers looted 85 firearms and thousands of bullets after breaking into the prison arsenal. They also looted food and money from the inmates.
The quarters where prison officers and guards lived with their families were also attacked, vandalized and looted. Many of the officers’ families took refuge in a nearby mosque. The attackers tried to attack the mosque as well.
”Thousands of attackers initially broke through the main entrance and then the inside gate. The guards tried to bar them but when it became difficult, they ran to save their lives,” said Narsingdi Jail Superintendent Abul Kalam Azad.
At one point, the jail superintendent, jailer, and others left their designated rooms and got into the fleeing crowd. This was how they survived, the jail superintendent said.
“The attackers entered every cell and used spades, Chinese axes, machetes and other weapons to break the locks and then encouraged the inmates to flee. They looted food items,” he said.
The jail superintendent said he sought help from Narsingdi police. “The police superintendent said he was lacking protection as well. He asked us to protect the jail by ourselves.”
A PRISON IN RUINS
On Saturday, the prison lay in ruins. Signs of destruction were everywhere - office rooms, condemned cells, the kitchen, and open spaces. Doors and windows were broken. Burn marks covered the walls. In some places, fires were still burning.
The documents in the office rooms were burnt, as was the furniture. Inmates’ cells were open and the garden was spoiled.
Some curious people were seen taking photos of the ruins on their mobile phones.
One prison guard said the attackers beat them after they snatched their keys.
Rioting has occurred at jails in the 140 years of Bangladesh’s penal history, but it was the first time so many outsiders had engineered such a massive jail break, said Kamrul Islam, jailer at the Narsingdi Jail. At least 20 of the 75 prison guards were injured.
85 FIREARMS, 8,000 BULLETS LOOTED
The attackers looted 85 firearms and more than 8,000 bullets, according to the authorities. The bullets included 7,000 rifle rounds and 1,500 shotgun rounds.
At least 95 suspects were arrested over the incident as of Tuesday, said Narsingdi Police Superintendent Mostafizur Rahman. Among them, six were inmates arrested near the jail.
In addition, 33 of the looted firearms, 1,000 bullets and numerous handcuffs were recovered, the police superintendent said.
On Saturday, IG Prisons Brig Gen ASM Anisul Haque, Dhaka Range DIG Syed Nurul Islam, as well as other police and prison officers, visited the Narsingdi jail.
IG Prisons Anisul Haque said the attack was the ‘most barbaric in the history of Bangladesh.’
“This was an effort by a vested quarter to create unrest in the country and the ultimate expression of their cruelty. This is unthinkable.”
“All powers of the nation are united in confronting such incidents. We’ll recover from this loss and rebound. We’re working to determine the amount of damage and also to recover the arms.”
The attackers’ motive was to loot firearms and use the inmates to support the protestors, said Dhaka Range DIG Syed Nurul Islam. ”They looted the arms from the jail and used them to fight the police. Today they fought in Narayanganj and four of them were arrested with firearms.”
The DIG is confident that the BNP and Jamaat E Islami were involved in the attack and said police were working to bring the attackers under the law.
Earlier on Monday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said at Rajarbagh Police Hospital that the attackers looted the arsenal in Narsingdi jail and used those firearms to fight the police.
POLICE ANNOUNCE REWARDS
Police will offer rewards for recovering the looted firearms and any information about the attackers carrying the arms, said police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun.
“Anyone giving us a lead on catching those carrying the looted firearms will get Tk 50,000 in reward,” he said.
One case was already filed over the attack on the jail, but there would be more cases, the IGP said.
PROBE COMMITTEES FORMED
The authorities have formed two probe committees over the incidents of the attack and arson on Narsingdi jail and the flight of the inmates, Moshiur Rahman, senior secretary at the home ministry, said on Monday as he visited the jail.
One of the committees was headed by the home ministry’s Senior Joint Secretary Dr Farook and had six members. The prison authorities formed another committee of three headed by an additional IG of prisons. Both committees were asked to submit their reports in 10 days.
The authorities have beefed up the security at the Narsingdi jail, Moshiur Rahman said. In addition to the police, a BGB camp was set up.
Power and water supply to the prison was restored and the CCTV cameras and the entrance gates were mended.
The jail was initially mended for inmates to live there, he said. “Some of the inmates are already there. Those who come to surrender afterwards will be kept here,” Senior Secretary Moshiur said