'Prothom Alo (Bangladesh),September 20, 2024

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

Extensive clashes took place between the two groups atDighinala of Khagrachhari on Wednesday and Thursday, and it spread to nearbyRangamati district on Friday. Members of both groups engaged in violentconfrontations, vandalism, and arson attacks on homes and shops belonging totheir rivals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

He later succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatmentin a hospital. In retaliation, businesses and homes belonging to the hillpeople were set ablaze at Dighinala. Shops owned by some Bengalis were alsoburned during the violence.