Khagrachhari, Rangamati in Bangladesh put under Section 144

'Prothom Alo (Bangladesh), September 20, 2024

The authorities have imposed Section 144 in Khagrachhari and Rangamati districts following clashes between hill people and Bengalis.

Extensive clashes took place between the two groups at Dighinala of Khagrachhari on Wednesday and Thursday, and it spread to nearby Rangamati district on Friday. Members of both groups engaged in violent confrontations, vandalism, and arson attacks on homes and shops belonging to their rivals.

To de-escalate the situation, Sujan Chandra Roy, the upazila nirbahi officer of Khagrachhari sadar upazila, imposed Section 144 in the upazila from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday. Similarly, Mosharraf Hossain Khan, district magistrate and deputy commissioner of Rangamati, issued a public notice, imposing Section 144 in the Rangamati municipality area from 1:00 pm.

Section 144 of the code of criminal procedure allows the authorities to impose certain restrictions in a particular area.  

Earlier in the morning, at least 15 people were injured in clashes between hill people and Bengalis in Rangamati. Around 30 houses and shops, including the regional council office, were vandalised and set on fire. Also, around 15 vehicles, including the motorcycle of Prothom Alo’s Rangamati correspondent, were torched.

According to witnesses, several thousand hill people, including students, brought out a protest march from the Rangamati stadium area around 10:00 am, protesting the arson attacks on homes and shops and the killing of three individuals in Khagrachhari.

When the procession was crossing the Banrupa area, some unidentified individuals hurled stones at them, triggering clashes between the hill people and the local Bengalis.

On the previous night, there were clashes and exchanges of gunfire between hill people and Bengalis in Khagrachhari district town. The unrest actually originated on Wednesday following the lynching of a man -- Mohammad Mamun, 30, a resident of Khagrachhari Sadar -- on allegation of stealing a motorcycle.

He later succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment in a hospital. In retaliation, businesses and homes belonging to the hill people were set ablaze at Dighinala. Shops owned by some Bengalis were also burned during the violence.