Attack on Enayetpur police station
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The attack on Enayetpur police station occurred on 4 August 2024, during the non-cooperation movement in Sirajganj District, Bangladesh. Fifteen police officers were killed in the assault many of whom were trying to surrender or hiding in neighboring homes.[1][2][3] The escalating violence saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign and flee Bangladesh on 5 August.[4]
The attack occurred during a period of civil unrest and political turmoil in Bangladesh.[3] A non-cooperation movement was underway against the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, resulting in widespread confrontations between law enforcement and protesters nationwide.[3] Reports indicated that 26 police stations were targeted in coordinated assaults.[3][5] The attack on Enayetpur police station was part of a broader wave of assaults on law enforcement.[3] The police headquarters reported that other police stations targeted included:[3]
- Jatrabari and Khilgaon police stations in Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) jurisdiction
- Gorai highway police station in Tangail
- Sherpur police station in Bogra
- Joypurhat Sadar police station in Joypurhat
- Eliotganj highway police station in Comilla
- Ashuganj police station in Brahmanbaria
- Shahjadpur police station in Sirajganj.
Additionally, the offices of the superintendents of police in Narayanganj, Bogra, Pabna, and Sirajganj were also attacked.[3]
Attack
According to police sources, a group of unidentified individuals attacked Enayetpur police station in the afternoon.[3] The assailants stormed the station, vandalized property, and set fire to parts of the building.[3] Thirteen on-duty police officers were beaten to death.[3] Eight of their bodies were stripped of clothes and piled on a heap near a mosque.[6] Some were thrown into a pond, and one was strung from a tree.[6] The identities of the attackers remain unknown.[3] Protestors were seen coming from Khwaja Yunus Ali Medical College.The attackers appeared to be under 22 and were not locals.[1]
In addition to the attack on Enayetpur Police Station, violent clashes in Sirajganj led to 27 deaths, including six people killed during an attack on an Awami League office in Raigonj Upazila.[6] Further violence saw the homes of political figures targeted, with two bodies recovered after the residence of Sirajganj-2 MP Jannat Ara Henry was torched.[6]
The police headquarters confirmed that, in addition to the 13 officers killed at Enayetpur police station, more than 300 officers sustained injuries in the nationwide attacks.[3]