Two powerful grenades were discovered near the main entrance of Hazrat Shah Makhdum Airport in Rajshahi on Tuesday, raising serious questions about security arrangements at the facility.
Police later confirmed that the objects were powerful grenades and safely neutralised them through controlled explosions at an open field in Pakuria area of Paba upazila.
The devices were spotted around 11am by a passerby, who alerted police personnel on duty. Following the discovery, airport authorities and members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) immediately closed the main entrance and tightened security across the airport premises.
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The incident caused panic among passengers, prompting authorities to open an alternative entrance near the airport mosque to facilitate the movement of travellers.
At the time, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku was at the airport after arriving on a flight from Dhaka. He was escorted out through the airport’s rear gate as a precautionary security measure and subsequently left for Bogura by road.
According to airport authorities, three armed APBn personnel were deployed round the clock near the main entrance. Despite the security presence, the discovery of the grenades raised questions about how the devices had been placed there without being detected.
The bomb disposal unit of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) rushed to the scene, cordoned off the area and recovered the devices.
They were subsequently transported to an open field in Pakuria, where bomb disposal personnel detonated them inside a sand-filled pit under controlled conditions. The force of the explosions was reportedly felt across an area of approximately one kilometre.
Police officials said the grenades were highly destructive and were not used by law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh. They suspect the devices may have been manufactured in Myanmar.
Authorities have launched an investigation to identify those responsible for placing the grenades near the airport’s main entrance and determine their motive.
Rajshahi Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge Robiul Islam said all passengers, including the minister, were escorted out through the rear entrance following the discovery.
RMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Mohammad Gaziur Rahman said the grenades had been removed from the airport premises and safely neutralised by the bomb disposal unit.
He added that investigators were working to establish who had placed the devices there and why.
The airport’s main entrance was temporarily closed as a precaution, while alternative access arrangements remained in place for passengers.
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