The bandit group ‘Sattar Bahini’ of the Sunderbans wants to return to normal life. The members of the group expect that the government will grant them amnesty and permit them to go back to their families.
On the other hand, law enforcers believe that with Sattar Bahini disbanded, the Sunderbans will be free of bandits.
Head of the group, Sattar, says that there are 12 members in his team and their arsenal includes 13 pieces of weapons; eight shooter, 0.22, double barrel and single barrel guns with around 400 rounds of bullets.
Willing to surrender, Sattar, says,“It’s difficult to operate in the Sunderbans since there are camps everywhere along with regular rounds by the Coast Guard and RAB.”
“We want to submit our weapons, bullets and go back to normal lives.”
To keep the forest areas free of bandits, traders will have to be controlled since they morph into bandits, warned the bandit leader.
I was made a bandit by someone else who gave me a weapon and introduced me to the life of a social outcast, added Sattar.
One other member of the group says, “I came here as a trader and then turned into a pirate.”
“But now we want to mend our ways and wipe the past clean.”
Another bandit laments, “By being a pirate we can earn money but are deprived of a family life with wife, father, mother and siblings.”
RAB’s media wing director, Mufti Mahmud Khan, observed: “we want to give another chance to the bandits to surrender; those who renounced their previous way of life are now leading happy family lives.”
Meanwhile, the remaining ones have started to realise the curse of living like fugitives, he added.
“We are trying our best; let’s see what happens.”