At least sixty-five members of various extremist outfits operating across Sirajganj, Pabna, and Rajbari districts surrendered on Sunday, pledging to return to normal life.
The formal surrender took place at a ceremony titled “Return to a New Path: Surrender of Extremist Sarbahara Members-2026” held on the premises of the Special Response Battalion (SRB)-12 headquarters in Solonga under Ullapara Upazila of Sirajganj.
Farzana Sharmin, State Minister for Social Welfare, attended the event as the chief guest. Special guests included Md. Amirul Islam Khan Alim, Member of Parliament for Sirajganj-5 (Belkuchi-Chowhali); Md. Ahsan Habib Palash, Additional IGP and Director General of SRB Forces; Colonel Iftekhar Ahmed, Additional Director General (Operations); Md. Ashik Sayeed, DIG of Rajshahi Range Police; and Shahana Akhter Jahan, Additional Divisional Commissioner (Development) of Rajshahi.
Presided over by SRB-12 Commanding Officer Additional DIG Md. Atiqur Rahman Miah and moderated by Squadron Leader Firoz, the event was also attended by Sirajganj Deputy Commissioner Md. Aminul Islam and Superintendent of Police Md. Saiful Islam Santu.
Expressing his feelings, Md. Majed Ali Munshi, one of the surrendered members, said, “It feels great to leave the dark path behind and step into the light.”
Another surrendered member, Ainul Hossain, shared that he had been separated from his family for 15 years while living on the run.
Another person named Md. Alam Sheikh mentioned that due to a lack of guidance and essential supplies, many who joined these groups eventually turned to robbery.
According to the organizers, necessary rehabilitation steps will be taken to help the surrendered members settle down and reintegrate into family and societal life. Official sources revealed that extremist ideologies began spreading in the region around 1968.
During the 1980s and 1990s, groups such as the Purba Bangla Communist Party (ML-Red Flag), Purba Bangla Sarbahara Party and Janajuddha carried out extensive armed activities.
Internal feuds and factional clashes over dominance later caused widespread panic among the local population.
Earlier in 1998, over 100 extremists surrendered in Kamarkhanda of Sirajganj with the initiative of the then Home Minister Mohammad Nasim. Besides, 596 members surrendered to the law enforcers in Pabna on April 9, 2019; while another 323 members surrendered at the RAB-12 office in Sirajganj on May 21, 2023.