Md. Rifat Hossain (18) a student is a resident of the Karail slum area of the capital. On the morning of March 14, Rifat went out to buy milk from a nearby shop when his mother wanted milk and rice during Sehri. Rifat was attacked there. Rifat was taken away by the opponents. In the dark of the night, he was beaten and cut with sharp weapons on the chest, back and body in various places and made them bleed. Rifat was rescued and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with serious injuries. Rifat survived this journey.

Although Rifat survived, Al-Amin from the same area did not. Al-Amin, the son of deceased Muslim Uddin, was a grocer by profession. That day was August 17, 2022. Al-Amin went to the local Noorani mosque with his two elder brothers to offer Isha prayers. He was attacked while praying.

Al-Amin did not perform the second prostration after finishing the first rakat while standing in prayer. He was suddenly attacked from behind. After injuring him inside the mosque, he was taken and the veins of his hands and legs were cut. The opponent ensured his death by draining out all the blood from the body. His brother Nasir Hossain was also injured in that attack. And being in the front row of the mosque, another elder brother of theirs, Jewel Sarkar, survived the attack. However, Nasir could not return to normal life even though he was seriously injured and survived. Now only the memory of the head injury. Nasir's life is completely dependent.

This Karail slum area has long been known as a town of terror inside the capital. On one side is the elite area of Banani, where the upper class and elite families live. Meanwhile, this Karail slum has been built around the T&T colony. Lakhs of underprivileged and low-income people live there. It's like darkness under the lamp. The attack on Rifat or the killing of Al-Amin is a fragment of the terrible situation of terror and violence behind the people who work in that darkness.

Here the black shadow of politics is mixed with terrorism. Not only influencing the area - there has been a bloody conflict here for a long time due to the politics and rank-and-file conflict of Jubo League, a branch organization of the ruling Awami League. Clatter of weapons and verbal assaults, killings, injuries are the daily picture here. The more terrifying information is that most of the information about these clashes, killings and attacks are not in the police records. But many involved in violence walk in public.

This reporter spoke to Rifat, the victim of the March 14 attack. Rifat said, "I came back from the face of death. I filed a case. The police have not arrested anyone so far. All the accused are roaming around openly. Rather, they are now threatening to kill me and my younger brother in various ways. I am passing my life in fear."

Asked what happened on the night of the attack, Rifat said, a boy named Maruf called me and took me to the field. Tanveer, Tuhin, Mahbub, Masud, Sumon and others attacked immediately after going to the field. Poached with sharp knives and hoofs. Besides, the attackers hit different parts of the body with hammers.

This reporter also spoke to Jewel Sarkar, the brother of the deceased Al Amin. According to sources, Jewel Sarkar himself is the head of a party here. He was the target of this opponent's attack. Which Jewel himself admits. He said, "The attack was carried out with the intention of killing me. As I was at the front of the prayer row, my two brothers who were behind faced the wrath of the attackers. That night, the floor of the holy mosque was red with the blood of my brothers."

"They grabbed my younger brother Al Amin while he was injured and severed his arm. We later rescued him dead," Jewel said.

Jewel said that he himself filed a case as a plaintiff in this incident. The main accused in the case was later arrested but got out on bail in just two and a half months. The accused is now threatening again in various ways, Jewell said.

This Karail slum is built on about 190 acres of government and privately owned land. At least four lakh people live in slums. Most of whom are day laborers. In Karail slums, political leaders are using slum dwellers to dominate. The youth and teenagers here are being trained for use in terrorism. Not only indigenous weapons, but often they are using firearms to show their power. Recently they are using social media in this terrorist act. There are also precedents of threatening opponents by posting pictures on Facebook with weapons.

Sources said at least five youth gang groups are active in Karail slums. Each group has hundreds of members. They are controlled by two local political leaders. Noor Alam Nuru, a resident of Karail slum and Joint General Secretary of Ward No. 19 of Banani Police Station. Another former president of Jubo League Karail No. 1 unit of Ward No. 19 (proposed) of Banani is Jewel Sarkar. Exercising weapons and attacking the enemy's people to spread their dominance is a daily occurrence. But after any attack, both sides blame each other.

The investigation revealed that the name of a terror in Karail slum area is Noor Alam Nuru. Nuru and his people regularly publish pictures of weapons on social media. He has under his control several teenage gang groups. He attacked the opponent while standing in the mosque. Al Amin was killed in the attack.

When a case was registered in that incident, Nuru was arrested. After serving only two and a half months in jail, he was released. On his way back to the area from the jail, he was seen doing a huge exercise. It is alleged that Nuru controls most of the drug spots in Karail Slum area. At least 25 members of his family are involved in drug trade. And this is about drugs the people of his forces are constantly monitoring the entrance of the Karail slum area to ensure safety.

Another part of Karail slum is led by Jubo League leader Jewel Sarkar. Jewel, who serves as the president of the local Noor Mosque, claims that his family has been repeatedly attacked by opponents due to political conflicts. So he did drills in the area for self-defense. Sources confirmed that he also has multiple youth gangs under his control.

When asked about the conflict with Nuru, Jewel Sarkar told Barta24.com that enmity is created while doing politics. At one time we did politics together. Nuru created enmity with us thinking himself a big leader. After that they attacked us on different occasions on different issues. On August 17, 2022, my two brothers were hacked to death inside the mosque by Nuru forces. Even if one returned alive, he could not return to normal life.

On May 11, going to the Karail slum area of Banani in the capital, an invisible border between the southern part of the slum and the Banani lakeside part was seen. Neither side forgets to kill across the border. Even in the area under their control, they are careful because the enemy can attack at any time in the darkness of the night.

Recently, members of the Nuru force tortured Asif, a member of the Jewel group, in the dark of night. Asif's cheek was cut with a sharp hoof. This Asif himself controls a teenage gang group.

Stating that he is unable to live a normal life due to the cut of his cheek, Asif told Barta24.com that members of Nuru forces killed Al Amin by attacking him in the mosque and then picking him up. Later, it was my turn to participate in the human chain demanding the trial of the Nuru forces. I can't leave the house. 15/16 attacks so far. Cheek cut. There is no account of the number of cuts on the head. I get regular death threats.

Asif claimed that he used to work as a cleaner in a private company in Mohakhali. But I can't go to office because of cut on cheek because office people are afraid to see him.

Meanwhile, Barta24.com received more than half a hundred photos and videos of the two groups from various sources. Analysis of the images revealed that members of the two groups regularly posted images of weapons on video-based social media platforms TikTok and Facebook. Apart from indigenous weapons, Nuru also has pictures with foreign weapons. In addition, the leaders of the group exercise regularly in the area which has pictures and videos. Even when the Banani Police arrested the members of the Nuru Force and kept them in the police station cell, they made pictures and Tik Tok videos to show their dominance there. Both the groups have filed several cases against each other in various incidents.

Banani Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kazi Sahan Haque said, "We have already taken the case," when asked about the weapons drill of two groups and the dominance of juvenile gangs in Karail slum. I have arrested the accused. We are taking legal action against those involved in such activities.

Nuru, who dominates the identity of the leader of the Swechchasebak League, regularly posts firearms on social media. When asked about the non-action against him, OC Sahan said, "I am not aware of posting pictures of weapons. If you have information, send it to me and I will look into it."