A 16 hour ordeal

In the afternoon of March 15, Shahadat Hossain was enjoying the 100th test cricket match of Bangladesh on television at his elder sister's apartment in a two-storey building, Chayaneer, in Premtala area of Sitakunda.

His elder sister was busy doing her daily chores, while the younger one was tutoring a neighbouring girl. His nephew and niece were playing.

Around 2:50pm, they heard heavy knocks on the front door. The 26-year-old opened the door and to his utmost surprise saw a good number of police standing. But surprise soon turned into fear for the family.

“Police told us that they were going to raid the flat next to us on the ground floor where some militants were hiding,” said Shahadat while talking to The Daily Star yesterday noon at the upazila health complex where his sisters were under treatment.

“They asked us not to get out and keep the doors locked,” he said.

Since then, the family along with 15 others of six families got trapped inside their flats for over 16 hours till yesterday morning.

A combined team of law enforcers evacuated Shahadat and his family members at 7:45am yesterday after the raid -- code named “Assault-16” -- that started at 6:00am ended.

“We were terrified hearing militants' presence…,” said Shahadat, a mobile phone top-up vendor.

He said a few moments later they heard a loud bang and panic gripped the family, especially the children.

His elder sister Sabina Yasmin kept on calling her husband Md Salim Uddin, a UP member of Banshbaria union, to inform him about the incident.

Salim, who was at the upazila sadar when they called him, said, “I rushed to my house but could not get inside as the area was barricaded. Tensed, I waited outside all night.”

He said throughout the night they heard sounds of several loud explosions from the building. “My wife kept on calling me. They were terrified and crying incessantly,” he said.

“None of us could eat anything out of fear,” said Morjina, younger sister of Shahadat. “After hearing gunshots, we laid down on the floor.”

Sabina, lying in the hospital bed, still looked panic-stricken. “I passed a sleepless night praying for the safety of my family…It felt like I got a new life when police and fire service men brought us out after cutting the window grills in the morning,” she said.

Sabina, the children and Morjina suffered breathing difficulties after inhaling fumes and got admitted to the health complex. “They are out of danger now,” said Ismat Jerin, assistant community health officer.