Cumilla residents terrified by teenage gang violence
Zakir Azad, Cumilla
The city residents are terrified by teenage gang violence in Cumilla and the common people are terrified by the showdown of these gangs with weapons in educational institutions, offices, courts and residential areas. Crime analysts are calling the new generation of teenagers aged 14 to 20 years old, who are openly cracking cocktails with various sharp weapons, a sign of social degradation and a pipeline to create big criminals. The activity of these scoundrels on the streets of the city within the reach of law enforcement agencies in the daytime is also raising questions about the law and order situation in the city. The weapons exercise of more than 500 members of a teenage gang group in several areas of the city on Friday (April 25) afternoon has brought this question to the fore again. Police sources said that in the past few years, more than 20 teenage gangs including Saiful Group, Ratan Group, Point Rabbi Group, Birth for Flying, Rock Star, Check In, CR Seven, Black Dragon, Rex, Eagle Gang, DWR, Flying Eagle, Happen Group, Big Boss, Black Fighter, Villa Group, CVC, RGS, X Paragon, LRN, Modern, Disco Boys, XCMHS have been active in Cumilla city.. The gangs, which are based in various schools and colleges, are mainly composed of minors, and are involved in drug dealing, theft and robbery. It is alleged that they have grown up under the umbrella of political parties. Although the law enforcement agencies have not yet been able to find out the exact roots of these teenage gang groups.According to police and media sources, at least 12 murders have occurred in the past 8 years at the hands of children and adolescents involved in gang culture since 2017. In addition, clashes between gang groups over dominance are frequent. In this, a young man named Sajeeb Hossain alias Babu (22) was beaten and stabbed in the Ashoktala area of the city on the night of December 4 last year, creating a buzz in the city. He died the next morning in the hospital. Police say that the drug business of the teenage gang was behind the incident.Earlier, on the night of December 31, 2022, a young man named Faisal Islam (19) was called from the 'Thirty First Night Party' in the Barapukur Par area of Southern Chartha in the city and was killed by cutting the veins of his hands and feet.On August 19, 2022, members of the youth gang publicly hacked and stabbed a teenager named Shahadat Hossain (15) to death in front of the city park.On February 26, 2021, a teenager named Mohammad Amin (15) from the city's Thakurpara area was stabbed to death in the back and chest by a youth gang.Meanwhile, after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, the gangs remained silent for a few months, but their showdowns have been regular in the last three months. Especially during holidays, they have been demonstrating their dominance by rehearsing in various populated areas including Cumilla Victoria Government College, Ranir Dighi Par, Dharmasagar Par, Adalat Para, Kandir Par, Modern School, Ranir Bazar, Talpukur Par. During the rehearsal procession, these teenagers were seen using sharp weapons and motorbikes. They also showed their dominance by writing the name of their gang on the walls.
In a 'continuation' of this, last Friday afternoon, during the Cumilla University admission test, a gang of at least 500 members staged a showdown in Victoria College, Ranir Dighi Par, Talpukur Par, and Adalat areas. They created panic by bursting cocktails in the streets and displaying sharp weapons. Several videos of this showdown on motorcycles and on foot went viral on social media Facebook. Kotwali Police Station OC Mahinul Islam said that 3 members of the juvenile gang were arrested that night. However, the police could not say which group they belonged to.
OC Mahinul Islam said that after receiving information about the rehearsal of a teenage gang in different areas of the city, the police immediately launched a raid. During this time, three people were arrested after chasing a group during the rehearsal. The rest fled. Knives, knives and anti-cutters were recovered from them. The police raid is underway. The accused will be identified after looking at the video footage and arrested.Cumilla University BNCC member Rahmat Bin Hanif, who was on duty at the admission test center, described the incident at that time and posted on social media. He mentioned in his post, 'Today, I was on duty for BNCC at Cumilla Victoria College on the occasion of the admission test. During the test, I heard the sound of a procession from outside. Hearing the sound, I quickly came out. When I arrived, I saw many small boys. Their age must be maximum 16 years. I saw ramda, churi, chapati in the hands of many of them. They were also setting off fireworks. I went to them and told them that the test is going on here, don't make such noise. They showed me their weapons and ran away making even more noise. Then when I said the police about this matter, they didn't bother at all.'Hasin Ishraq Mizar, a law student at Cumilla University, said, '"After August 5, the violence of teenage gangs in Cumilla city has been increasing alarmingly. I think the silence of the Cumilla administration is the main reason for this, because such incidents are happening frequently now but the administration is not taking any strict action against them. Occasionally, one or two people are arrested but they are released after a few days. Also, those who are sheltering them are completely out of reach. If this situation continues, I fear that this city will become even more unsafe. I demand that strict action be taken as soon as possible to solve this problem in the city.'Meanwhile, political leaders have expressed concern over the rise of Kishor Gyan members in Cumilla city after August 5. Urging no one to give political patronage to any Kishor gang, Cumilla Metropolitan BNP General Secretary Yusuf Molla Tipu said, "We do politics to serve the people. If any politician has asked questions to Kishor gangs, then they have stood against the people. They have cooperated to mislead a generation. BNP does not support this activity of Kishor gangs." Yusuf Molla Tipu also said, "During the previous Awami League government, these gangs had grown in various wards under the shadow of Awami League leaders. Now the administration will have to find out whose patronage those gangs are giving patronage to. It may be that someone from Awami League has sponsored them and brought them out on the streets." Comilla's crime analyst and PP of Comilla Court Kaimul Haque Rinku said, 'Again, juvenile gangs have risen in Cumilla city, the administration must stop the matter carefully. Politicians must also be aware that no one uses these minor teenagers to spread dominance. The decisions taken to control the law and order situation in the monthly district law and order committee meetings must be implemented.'Lawyer Kaimul Haque Rinku also said, 'Guardians must keep track of where their children are going and what they are doing. There is a possibility that these teenagers will get involved in major crimes from crimes like practicing with weapons. Therefore, if they cannot be stopped now - the family, society and the state will all have to bear the responsibility.'Every time in Cumilla city, law enforcement agencies arrest some of the accused after such showdowns of juvenile gang members. However, Cumilla Sadar Circle Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Saiful Malik, expressing the police's cautious stance regarding these juvenile criminals, said, "We are verifying the information from the arrested members of the juvenile gang. Since many of them are minors and students of schools and colleges, we have to work very carefully with them. We are collecting information about various juvenile gangs in Cumilla - we hope to be able to solve this problem."
