Stone Extraction: Police sue 8 over deaths in landslide

Police on Tuesday night filed a case against eight people in connection with the death of five children and an adult in a landslide in Kanaighat upazila earlier that day.

Ahmed Solaiman, owner of the hillock where the incident took place, and seven others were accused of neglect that resulted in the landslide and loss of six lives, said Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar, additional superintendent of police.

On Tuesday morning, a group of children started extracting stones from a dangerous cliff of the hillock on the banks of the Lovachhora river in Bangla Tila area.

A few hours later one of the children's father rushed to stop them from extracting stones but could only save his son. Others were killed as they fell in the river along with a large chunk of earth.

They were buried in the village graveyard following their namaz-e-janaza attended by hundreds of people yesterday afternoon.

The district administration and the district police have meanwhile formed two probe bodies in connection with the disaster.

Contacted, Salah Uddin Chowdhury, deputy director of the Department of Environment in Sylhet, said they were working to stop illegal stone extraction in Kanaighat.

Official sources said one Nazrul Islam of Sylhet filed a writ with the High Court in 2016 to stop stone extracting in Kanaighat upazila.The HC subsequently ordered all authorities concerned to take action and execute a previous order forbidding machine-based extraction.

As many as 28 people have been killed and 11 injured during stone extraction in Companiganj, Gowainghat and Kanaighat upazilas since January 23 this year.

A joint statement by some concerned citizens of Sylhet said stone extraction could be stopped if only the people behind its syndicate were punished.

The statement was signed by Advocate Shah Shaheda Akter, regional coordinator of BELA Sylhet, Faruk Mahmud Chowdhury, president of SUJAN Sylhet chapter, EU Shahidul Islam Shahin, former president of Sylhet District Lawyers Association, Md Irfanuzzaman Chowdhury, coordinator of BLAST Sylhet chapter, Aziz Ahmed Selim, SONAK Sylhet, Advocate Syeda Shirin Akter, coordinator of Bangladesh Jatiya Mohila Ainjibi Somity's Sylhet chapter, and Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of BAPA Sylhet chapter.