At least three people were killed as gunmen attacked a police checkpoint near Sholakia Eid congregation, the largest in Bangladesh, on Thursday morning, police said.
Police also killed a gunman during the deadly gunfight that lasted for nearly an hour starting at 9:30am, about half-an-hour before the prayer started at the traditional Eid congregation under Kishoreganj district.
The deadly attack took place within a week of Gulshan carnage in the capital on July 1, where miscreants had killed 20 hostages, mostly foreign nationals, in a Spanish restaurant.
Police arrested at least three people, including a suspected attacker from the spot, said Syed Abu Sayem, the additional police super of Kishoreganj.
Police and witnesses said that the miscreants opened gunshots on police personnel at the checkpoint about 100 yards away from the congregation.
Two police constables, an attacker and a woman died on the spot while nine policemen were injured.
Six injured policemen were taken to Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka in critical condition.
The dead constables were identified as Jahirul Islam and Ansarul Haque while police said a woman, Jharna Rani Bhowmik, died after she was caught in a gunfight.
Identity of the dead attacker could not be known immediately.
The additional police super said there were several attackers but they could not give the exact number.
He said that the attacker, who died on the spot, was carrying a pistol and machete. He was wearing a pajama but inside that there was jeans pant with a chamber to carry the machete.
An attacker took shelter in a house and police arrested him from there. They also recovered a pistol from his possession.
He was handed to RAB for further interrogation.
The two other suspects are currently under police custody.
‘We have strong suspicion that at least one of the two men, who are under our custody, is part of the gang,’ said additional police superintendent Abu Sayem.
Shahriar Hossain, a banker in Dhaka, who hails from Sholakia told New Age that gunmen came in separate groups under the guise of devotees.
‘They were scattered in different spots. I saw two of them carrying firearms and explosive opening fire on policemen,’ he said.
The prayer held under tight security and police completed the evacuation by noon.
‘Most of the people, who came from different place of the country, were already at the Eidgah field. Only some local people like me were yet to go there,’ said Shahriar.
‘I left the place immediately and could not attend the prayer.’
The gathering in Kishoreganj is known as the Sholakia Eid prayers and officials put the number of people at the service on Thursday at between 2.5-3 lakh.
Source: New Age
