Villages wear deserted look for raids

The houses are mostly shut from inside. The males are hardly seen anywhere. The villages seem deserted.

That is the situation prevailing in Gondamara union now, where the government wants to set up a coal-fired power plant but faced huge opposition from the local people.

Tension has been hanging over the villages of the union under Banshkhali upazila since Monday when police started rounding up people accused in different cases, particularly those sued for assaulting police during the April 4 clash between opponents of the power plant and law enforcers. Four people were killed and dozens injured.

After the clash, over 3,000 people were sued in three cases -- two for the murders and the other for assaulting police.

Nurul Amin, a local resident, said police detained his 17-year-old sick son, along with three others, on Tuesday when he was going to the upazila sadar to see a doctor. 

“My ill son was released in the wee hours the next day following hectic efforts by some influential people,” he said.

One of the four, Abdus Salam, is still in police custody. 

Nurul said, “What was my ill son's fault? Why are they harassing the innocent villagers?”

The residents of Gondamara strongly oppose the installation of the 1,224MW coal-based power plant in 650 acres of land because they fear it would displace them, have immense environmental impacts, and hurt their livelihoods.

They demonstrated on several occasions and threatened to resist the move.

During a visit to Gondamara Thursday, this correspondent found deserted the villages including Khamar Para, Monaji Pukur Par, Mujib Tila, Rahmania Aliya Madrasa area and Pachhim Gondamara where drives were conducted.

The correspondent knocked on the doors of at least 10 houses but almost all of the families declined to talk.

When asked, eight-year-old boy Malek said huge numbers of police were visiting the villages every day, so everyone was in panic.

A group of people chatting at a tea stall in Gondamara Bazar said very few people now dared go to the upazila sadar in fear of arrests.

Police have set up four check points at the exits of Gondamara to make arrests.

Asked why they were raiding the villages now, Kamal Hossain, inspector (investigation) of Banshkhali Police Station, said they were looking for illegal arms and people accused in different cases ahead of the Union Parishad election.

He said 15 people were detained so far.

However, of them, eight were arrested in the police assault case, according to Sub-inspector Abu Sufian.

Because of fears, few vehicles are on the roads connecting Gondamara with Banshkhali sadar.

On Tuesday, Farzana Akter, 18, could not sit for HSC exams because she was one and a half hour late. She fell unconscious and was hospitalised later.

The girl found no auto-rickshaw to travel the 15-20km distance to the exam centre in the upazila sadar.

During Monday's raid, conducted by a few hundred police, 75-year-old Haji Dudu Miyan was arrested.

He is the father of Liakat Ali, ex-chairman of Gondamara Union and leader of the protest against the power plant.

Liakat's house was found locked.

His step mother, Azlat Khatun, 63, who was initially unwilling to talk, said, "What shall I tell you? They vandalised the door and furniture. Money and ornaments were taken away. Even they dragged away my paralysed husband," she said. "I don't know how he is now."

Dudu is among the eight arrested in the police assault case.