Atia Mahal not yet livable

With gas, power and water supplies restored and some shops and roads reopened, many people were returning home in Sylhet's Shibbari area, but many of them found the stench of decomposed bodies of two suspected militants at “Atia Mahal” difficult to bear.

Police allowed locals to return home on Friday afternoon, two days after the army-led “Operation Twilight” at the hideout came to an end.

However, the occupants of two buildings of “Atia Mahal”, and an adjacent building were still awaiting police permission to return. A nearby school is also not being allowed to open.

An army team on Tuesday night handed the building over to the  police. Police were yet to conduct a security sweep of the buildings and collect evidence, which would be done after an inspection by a bomb disposal unit. 

During the army operation on Sunday, two militants, including a woman, were killed and their bodies were brought out of the hideout the following day.

Yesterday, the two unidentified militants were buried at Manik Pir Majar graveyard in the city.

The bodies of two more militants killed on Monday could not be taken out of the building.

Nazrul Islam, a resident of “Atia Mahal”, said he had left all his educational certificates, important documents, some gold jewellery and money in his flat. He was worried whether he would find those undamaged.

Local Anwar Hossain said the stench of the militants' decomposed bodies have spread in the area. The smell was making it difficult for people to breathe.

He demanded the police take prompt steps to take the two bodies out of the building.

Debapada Roy, deputy director at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, said residents of Shibbari area could develop respiratory problems as they were inhaling the smelly air.

Visiting Shibbari area yesterday afternoon, this correspondent found that a police team cordoned off “Atia Mahal” and blocked the nearby Sylhet-Fenchuganj road leading to the building.

Jahir Tahir Memorial High School near the militant hideout remained closed.  Three more schools and a madrasa in Shibbari were yet to resume classes since March 25.

Zedan Al Musa, additional deputy commissioner (South) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said the bomb disposal unit was likely to conduct a sweep of the three buildings soon. Later, the Police Bureau of Investigation and Crime Investigation Unit will collect evidence from the spot.

“There might be explosives in the buildings and also in the adjacent high school. It would take time to give permission to use the buildings and to reopen the school. But we have already asked locals to start normal life,” he added.

Police cordoned off “Atia Mahal” around 1:30am on March 24.

The following day, the army team started the anti-militant operation after the utility supplies to the suspected militant den were cut.