Dhaka, Nov. 15 -- Khulna was once known as a city of calm. Now, residents say, gunfire has become so routine that fear no longer waits for nightfall.

Armed gangs and extortionists have tightened their grip, leaving even the police looking powerless.

"We, the people of Khulna, are not doing well. The city's residents have become hostage to a few terrorist groups and extortionists," says Nazrul Islam Manju, administrator of Khulna City Corporation.

The former Khulna-2 MP says people are paying quietly, from hundreds of thousands to millions of taka, for fear of their lives. "The situation is extremely frightening. Who will ordinary people complain to?"

Seventy-one people were killed in Khulna city and district between January and Octobe...