Sylhet District

Sylhet District (sylhet division) area 3217.28 sq km, located in between 24°36' and 25°11' north latitudes and in between 91°38' and 92°30' east longitudes. It is bounded by Meghalaya state of India on the north, maulvibazar district on the south, assam state of India on the east, sunamganj and habiganj districts on the west.

Population Total 3232834; male 1626947, female 1605887; Muslim 2995529, Hindu 232158, Buddhist 643, Christian 2442 and others 2062. Indigenous communities such as khasia, manipuri and patra (Pathor) belong to this upazila.

Water bodies Main rivers: surma, kushiyara, piyain, Gorai.

District
Area (sq km)	Upazila	Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
						Urban	Rural
3217.28	12	5	94	1450	2915	753549	2479285	1005	51.2

City Corporation (Census 2001)
City Corporation	Metropolitan Thana	Ward	Mahalla
1	6	27	224

Name of Metropolitan Thana	Area (sq km)	Ward and Union	Mahalla and Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
Bimanbandar (part)	110.59	2+2 (part)	39	97524	882	58.07
Kotwali	17.22	18	144	168271	9772	71.75
Jalalabad	133.36	4	42	91822	689	37.71
Dakshin Surma (part)	78.82	7	54	114370	1451	62.16
Moglabazar	115.83	4	57	94215	813	55.36
Shah Paran (part)	63.56	6	48	99224	1561	63.38

Others Information of District
Name of Upazila	Area (sq km)	Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
Kanaighat	391.79	1	9	203	264	263969	674	43.5
Companiganj	296.75	-	6	79	138	174029	586	28.8
Gowainghat	481.12	-	8	239	266	287512	598	32.7
Golapganj	278.33	1	11	98	244	316149	1136	56.0
Zakiganj	265.68	1	9	117	278	237137	893	49.4
Jaintiapur	266.11	-	6	142	174	161744	601	41.2
Dakshin Surma	187.66	-	9	104	309	253388	1350	56.0
Fenchuganj	114.09	-	3	29	89	104741	918	50.5
Balaganj	167.55	-	6	94	182	118873	709	50.2
Beanibazar	253.24	1	10	134	174	253616	1001	59.7
Bishwanath	213.16	-	8	123	444	232573	1091	46.9
Sylhet Sadar	301.80	1	9	88	353	829103	2747	41.3

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Administration Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782. Until 1878, Sylhet was under the jurisdiction of dhaka division. In the same year, Sylhet was included in the newly created Assam Province. Municipality was formed in 1878. Up to 1947 (excepting the Banga Bhanga period of 1905-1911) it remained a part of Assam. In 1947, as a result of a referendum, it was attached to the East Pakistan and was in the Chittagong Division. The greater Sylhet was divided into four new districts viz Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj and Maulvibazar in 1983-84. On 1 August 1995 Sylhet was declared as the 6th division of the country. Of the twelve upazilas of the district gowainghat is the largest (486.10 sq km) and fenchuganj is the smallest (114.48 sq km).

War of Liberation On 4 April 1971, a serious encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at the Hospital area of Sylhet Sadar in which a number of Pakistani soldiers and freedom fighters were killed. On 5 April the freedom fighters conducted bomb explosion at the Sylhet Airport causing heavy damages to the airport. To control the situation most of the Pakistani soldiers of the town rushed to the airport area. Taking advantage of this situation, the freedom fighters entered the Sylhet Jail and liberated about 2500 detainees including freedom fighters and general public. On 19 April the freedom fighters raided the Airport again. During the war of liberation more than one hundred freedom fighters and civilians were killed in various encounters with the Pak army including at Laltila, Ureatila, Malinichhara Tea Garden, Tultikar, Zindabazar Police Line, Jalalabad etc of Sylhet Sadar upazila. On 6 May the Pak army conducted mass killing at Ilashpur of Balaganj upazila; they also killed 36 persons at Adityapur. Two encounters were held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at Sherpur and Sadipur; the Pak army was defeated in both the encounters. In the month of May the Pak army, coming from Sylhet, shot two malis (gardeners) dead on the first gate of the Fenchuganj Fertilizer Factory premises. Later on, they also shot dead two laborers of the Monipur tea garden. On 28 November, at dead of night, the Pak army launched a surprise attack on the village Ujuhat under Gowainghat upazila and killed 25 freedom fighters. During the War of Liberation the Pak army conducted killing, torturing, plundering and firing in different places of Kanaighat upazila including at Maligram and Gauripur. The Pak army killed many innocent persons including Narayan Sen, Jitendra Das, Bomkesh Chowdhury, Basanta Kuman Das and Dhirendra Kumar Das of Bishwanath upazila. The Pak army used to abduct innocent persons from different places of the Beanibazar upazila and killed them at mass killing sites such as at the backyard of the Dak bungalow of the Beanibazar Sadar, Thana compound and at the present Shahid Tila area. In different encounters with the Pak army 19 freedom fighters of Companiganj upazila were killed.There are 13 mass graves and 9 mass killing sites in the district; 14 memorial monuments and a sculpture have been built.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 51.2%; male 53.5%, female 48.9. Educational institutions: university 5, medical college 4, technical college 3, college 7, secondary school 44, primary school 115, community school 6, kindergarten 80, madrasa 30. Noted educational institutions: shahjalal university of science and technology (1987), Sylhet Agricultural University, Darul Ihsan University, MAG Osmani Medical College (1975), Sylhet Engineering College, Jalalabad Public School and College, MC College (1889), Sylhet Sanskrit College (1902), Sylhet Government Pilot High School (1836), Raja Jimi High School (1886), Agragami Government Girls' High School (1903), Model High School (1932), Government Madan Mohan College (1940), The Aided High School (1942), Kishori Mohan Girls' School (1944), Hazrat Shah Jajal (R) High School, Hazrat Shah Paran (R) High School, Sylhet' Government Alia Madrasa (1948).

Main sources of income Agriculture 38.58%, non-agricultural labourer 7.73%, industry 0.89%, commerce 14.87%, transport and communication 3.01%, service 7.35%, construction 2.22%, religious service 0.56%, rent and remittance 10.50% and others 14.29%.

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Sylheter Dak, Ajker Sylhet, Sudin, Jagaran, Sabuj Sylhet, Sylhet Sanglap, Manchitra, Yugveri, Sylhet Bani, Alokito Sylhet, Jalalabad; defunct: Shrihatta Prakash (1875), Paridarshak (1875-80), Srihattamihir (1889), Shrihattabasi (1895), Janashakti (1920), Jugbani (1925), Al Islah, Gyanannesan (1931), Jagaran (1938), Al Jalal (1941), Sylhet Samachar (1977), Sylhet Kantha (1981), Weekly Jalalabad (1982), Daily Jalalabadi (1984), Ajker Vishwa Sangbad (1992), Paridarshak (nineteenth century).

Folk culture The prevalent folk culture of the district include Mursidi song, Marfati song, Lai Haroaba dance, Manipuri dance, Kumari dance, Jhum dance, etc.

Important installations Mazar of shah jalal (r), Mazar of Hazrat shah paran (r), Gour Gobinda Fort, Malnichhara Tea Garden, MAG Osmani International Airport, Osmani Museum, Keen Bridge, Shahi Eidgah and Lalkhal (sylhet sadar); Hakaluki Haor (fenchuganj); Dream Land Park (golapganj). [Ashfaq Hossain]

See also The upazilas under this district.

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Field report of Sylhet District 2010; Field report of different upazilas of Sylhet District 2010.