One person was killed and several injured after residents in the coastal city of Cox’s Bazar in southern Bangladesh clashed with armed forces on Monday.
The Bangladesh Armed Forces claimed that “local miscreants” attacked the air force base in the city and attempted to set it on fire.
Tensions had been brewing between the residents of Samitipara area and the military over the expansion of the air base and the airport in Cox’s Bazar.
The local people had been protesting against the government’s move to evict some of them from the area and rehabilitate them elsewhere. On Monday, over a dozen people went to meet the district administrator with their demands but were stopped at a military checkpoint as one was without a helmet, local media reported.
A clash ensued, with videos posted on social media showing soldiers firing shots and residents pelting stones. “At that time, more than 200 local people from Samitipara advanced towards the air force base and the air force members barred them. As the number of local people increased, a clash broke out between the air force members and some miscreants from Samitipara,” the Inter Services Public Relations of the Bangladesh Armed Forces said.
Ayesha Siddiqua, a military spokesperson, claimed the clash erupted after a resident was taken inside the air base from a checkpoint for questioning as he did not have the necessary documents for his motorcycle.
The military said they were forced to fire blank rounds, not live ammunition, at the civilians after violence ensued and several of their personnel were injured.
A man identified as Shihab Kabir Nahid was injured in the clashes and died on his way to hospital. The military denied that he was injured in firing by soldiers.
“Analysing the pictures of the cartridge that have been circulated proves that it was a blank cartridge which is non-lethal and only produces sound,” the military said. “Bangladesh Air Force expresses deep condolence over the death of the youth and sympathises with his family members.”
Cox’s Bazar has been in international headlines for over a decade for giving refuge to over a million Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in the neighbouring nation of Myanmar.
Bangladesh, run by an interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, has faced challenges in establishing order since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August by a street agitation led by students. Mob violence in particular has become a pressing concern.
On Monday, the Manusher Jonno Foundation, a rights group in Dhaka, expressed deep concern over the decline in law and order in the country, citing an increase in gender-based violence, harassment and restrictions on women's mobility.
