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.