How Many Militants Have Escaped From Prison, No Responsible One is Speaking Out

Special Report

The escape of terrorists from prisons in Bangladesh began on July 19th of last year. In the afternoon, not only in Narsingdi, but the entire country was shocked when at least 10,000 people suddenly surrounded the district jail from all sides. At that time, the quota reform movement had just started gaining momentum. This was when an unprecedented event occurred in the history of Bangladesh’s prisons. All 824 prisoners, including 9 terrorists, escaped from the prison. Not only that, but the attackers looted 85 different types of weapons, ammunition, and security equipment from the prison’s armory. Within a few days of the incident, almost 500 detainees and prisoners surrendered, but at least three hundred prisoners, including the 9 terrorists, are still on the run.

After the Narsingdi incident, security in prisons across the country was increased. Special attention was given to the Kashimpur High-Security Prison in Gazipur, which is considered the most sensitive prison in the country. This is because it housed the most dangerous terrorists, top criminals, and over a thousand death row inmates. Along with prison guards, police and army surveillance were intensified there.

However, the situation changed on August 5th, when thousands of so-called students and common people began surrounding the Kashimpur High-Security Prison upon hearing the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure from the country. The leader of the protesters was Rofiqul Islam Madani, known as the “child speaker.” After serving nearly two and a half years in prison, Rofiqul Islam Madani was released from this very prison in early November 2023. At one point, the news of the prison being surrounded reached the detainees and prisoners, prompting them to start protests and rallies.

As a result, chaos broke out inside the prison, and the situation began spiraling out of control. The jail superintendent, Subrata Kumar Bala, was in charge of the high-security prison. Just like the rest of Bangladesh, Gazipur became chaotic, violent, and bloody. What should he do? He was desperately trying to reach his senior officers for answers, but was unable to make contact. Ultimately, he and at least three other prison officials spent an entire sleepless night without any resolution.

The next morning, August 6th, a few soldiers were deployed inside the prison, but they made no attempt to stop the attackers from both outside and inside the prison. In this situation, a team of commandos from the army was flown in by helicopter from Dhaka. However, before they could arrive, hundreds of prisoners attacked the guards and managed to escape. Among them were many terrorists and top criminals. Taking advantage of this chaotic situation, even regular prisoners began to escape. At one point, the commandos opened fire, killing six people, including three terrorists who had carried out the attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery.

The deceased terrorists included Mohammad Zinnah (28), son of Zakir Hossain from Narsingdi’s Nolvata, Aslam Hossain Mohan and Afzal Hossain (63), sons of Abdus Salam from Naogaon’s Kanchanpur. Other deceased individuals included Imtiaz Pavel (24), son of Makbul Mia from Rameshwarpur, Moulvibazar, accused in a murder case; Swapan Sheikh (40), son of Rajjak Sheikh from Tariat, Tangail, accused in a robbery case; and Ayatulloh (39), son of Sirajul Islam from Jaloasha, Sunamganj.

How many detainees and prisoners escaped from the Kashimpur High-Security Prison? And how many of them were terrorists? The prison authorities did not confirm any details to the media. However, initially, the army reported that 209 prisoners had managed to escape by scaling the walls, with 6 of them later returning and surrendering. The whereabouts of the remaining 203 prisoners are still unknown, among whom 86 had been sentenced to death.

However, eyewitnesses and prison authorities have unofficially stated that the number is much higher. According to their information, there were nearly 2,500 prisoners in the Kashimpur High-Security Prison at the time of the incident, including at least 1,000 death row inmates. All the terrorists held there either escaped or were allowed to escape. They also claim that the army aided in this process.

This raised questions in various circles about the escape of prisoners. It was said that Kashimpur was the only high-security prison in the country, heavily reliant on modern technology. How did the “student crowd” manage to break into this prison? How did the prisoners attack and severely injure 25 to 30 prison guards? How did they break down such strong walls in the presence of the army? How did they make ladders from electrical poles? How much time did the prisoners have to prepare? Who assisted them from outside? These questions remain unanswered. From prison authorities to the army and the Ministry of Home Affairs, no one has provided an answer.

The bodies of the deceased prisoners remained inside the prison for hours. Prison authorities were unable to identify them on the day of the incident, but the next day, August 7th, the army confirmed their identities. Their bodies were then sent for autopsy to the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital morgue. News of the gunfight in the prison spread quickly, and on the previous day, August 6th, relatives of the prisoners had gathered. After confirming their identities, the bodies were forcefully taken to their homes without undergoing autopsy.

Two days after the prison attack, on August 8th, Senior Jail Superintendent Subrata Kumar Bala was removed from his post, and control of the entire prison was handed over to the army. Armed soldiers with armored vehicles took positions at the main gate, and order was restored inside the prison.

Ten days after the horrific incident, on August 16th, the prison authorities filed a case. Mohammad Latfor Rahman, the superintendent of Kashimpur High-Security Central Prison, filed the case at the Konabari police station. The case statement mentions, “On August 5th, upon hearing the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure from the country, an unstable environment was created among the prisoners inside Kashimpur High-Security Central Prison. Subsequently, on the morning of August 6th, from 8:45 AM onwards, the prisoners started rioting inside the prison.”

The statement also mentioned that the prisoners held the prison guards hostage, broke the lock-up gates, and used iron angles from the staircase as weapons. The prisoners then used electric poles from within the prison to create ladders and escaped through the west side of the prison between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Among the 203 escaped prisoners, 86 were sentenced to death, 11 were convicts, 102 were detainees, and 4 were unidentified.

The escape of terrorists in this manner was not limited to Narsingdi and Kashimpur High-Security Prison. After August 5th, similar incidents began occurring in prisons across the country. On August 9th, in the central prison located in the Lal Dighi area of Chattogram, a gunfight broke out between outsiders, including terrorists, and the prison guards. The prisoners revolted on that day. Terrorists from outside, armed with looted weapons from various police stations, fired at the guards. To control the situation, the prison guards fired rubber bullets and blanks. Several prisoners were injured.

Additionally, a few prison guards were severely injured by gunfire from outside the prison. Some prison officials were also injured in the attacks by the prisoners. As the army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) attempted to control the situation, several terrorists who were attacking the prison were reported dead or wounded, according to unofficial sources and videos circulating on social media. The prison authorities in Chattogram claimed that no prisoners had escaped, but this claim is in question.

Taking advantage of the chaotic situation nationwide, terrorists sentenced to death or serving other prison terms were either secretly released or allowed to escape. The most alarming information is that even six months after the incident, law enforcement agencies have failed to arrest most of these terrorists! Various sources claim that many of the escaped terrorists have taken refuge in secret hideouts in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Some have reportedly been secretly undergoing weapons training at several important national sites.

A significant portion of the heavy weapons and ammunition looted from the vast armory of the Narsingdi prison has reportedly fallen into the hands of terrorists. Additionally, after the destruction of over 400 police stations across the country starting from August 4th, a large portion of the weapons looted from there have also ended up with terrorists and criminals. Furthermore, many high-tech weapons, intelligence equipment, security materials, and sensitive accessories from the Prime Minister’s residence and the National Parliament building’s Special Security Force (SSF) have yet to be recovered.

Some of the looted weapons have reportedly reached the hands of terrorists in the Geneva Camp in Mohammadpur, according to news reports. Since August, these weapons have been used in nationwide violence and killings. There are concerns that trained terrorists might use these weapons to create disturbances in the country. However, analysts believe that the responsible government officials have not shown any concern regarding this. The home affairs advisor has even expressed helplessness, stating that the weapons that were supposed to be recovered during “Operation Devil Hunt” have not been retrieved, leading to growing public fear over security.