Staff Reporter, Dhaka
The law-and-order situation in Bangladesh remains unstable following the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5. The country continues to witness incidents of killings, looting, and arson, with violence stretching from the national mosque, Baitul Mukarram, to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), which comprises the three districts of Bandarban, Khagrachari, and Rangamati.
Mob justice has also taken root on university campuses, resulting in the brutal killings of two individuals at Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University last week. Additionally, a clash erupted before the Jummah prayer at Baitul Mukarram between followers of the current Khatib, Waliur Rahman, and the former Khatib, Ruhul Amin. Amin, who had been in hiding since the fall of the Awami League government, reappeared at the mosque on Friday, triggering the confrontation. The violence led to several arrests and multiple injuries.
As the country struggles to restore its policing system, the interim government, on Wednesday night, granted magistracy powers to commissioned army officers for 60 days in an effort to restore order. These officers now possess the authority to arrest individuals, detain them, and, if necessary, open fire in self-defense or under extreme circumstances. However, despite these measures, the security situation remains largely unchanged.
Meanwhile, tensions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have escalated following a violent clash between Bangali locals and indigenous people. At least four indigenous individuals were killed in confrontations with the Bangali locals in last two days. Though indigenous people alleged Army was inactive during the attacks on them.
In Khagrachhari, violence broke out as gunfire erupted overnight in the Dighinala area on Thursday, following earlier clashes. The district has been left in a state of fear, with three confirmed deaths and at least 15 people injured.
Khagrachhari District Commissioner Mohammad Shahiduzzaman confirmed the incidents, saying, “There was gunfire on Thursday. So far, three bodies have been recovered, and the injured are receiving treatment at the hospital. Law enforcement is working to bring the situation under control. The situation remains tense.”
The violence also spread to Rangamati district on Friday, where clashes followed the Khagrachhari unrest. Over 50 people were injured in the clash. In response, the Rangamati district administration imposed Section 144, banning gatherings in the area until further notice.
According to the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), a human rights organization, over one hundred homes and shops belonging to indigenous communities were set ablaze by miscreants in various parts of the CHT. They condemned the large-scale attacks, saying that this is the most significant assault on indigenous communities in the region since 2007.
Following the deaths and widespread injuries, the central coordinator of the Conflict and Discrimination Opposition Indigenous Student Movement- a platform working for the rights of Indigenous students- called for a blockade in the CHT if their demands are not met within Friday.
In a statement on Friday Noon, the group issued several key demands. They called for the Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff to take responsibility for the incident and issue a public apology within 24 hours. They also demanded that the army officers and soldiers involved in the Khagrachhari firing be brought to justice, and the army withdrawn to their barracks within a day. They also urged the full implementation of the CHT Peace Accord within two months and the official recognition of indigenous peoples along with their respective ethnic identities.
The group warned that if these demands are not met within 24 hours, they will initiate an indefinite blockade of the CHT. The proposed “CHT Blockade” would include the indefinite suspension of all road and waterway traffic in the region, a boycott of all Bengali settler-owned shopping malls and businesses, the closure of government offices and courts, and the suspension of classes in all educational institutions.
The ongoing clashes in CHT followed the death of a Bangali man named Md Mamun. He died in a mob beating following suspicions that he stole a motorcycle in Khagrachhari on Wednesday.