At least three people were injured and more than 200 houses and shops were set on fire in a clash between Bengali people and national minority communities at Boalkhali of Dighinala in Khagrachari hill district on Thursday.
The clash erupted at about 4:00pm when Bengali Chhatra Parishad brought out a procession protesting against the death of Md Mamun in mob beating on early Wednesday.
A Buddhist temple was also set on fire in the remote area, home to various national minorities, during the clash.
Confirming the matter to 抖阴精品, Khagrachari district superintendent of police Md Arefin jewel said that three people were injured in the clash and two of them were admitted to the Sadar Hospital while another took primary treatment.
He said that no death was reported so far in the incident.
鈥榃e have brought the situation under control after the deployment of army, police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel,鈥� the police official added.
He said that Mamun, who had been facing a number of criminal cases, was killed while fleeing stealing a motorcycle.聽
The district police chief and Dighinala upazila nirbahi officer Md Mamunur Rashid could not confirm how many houses and shops were vandalized or set on fire.
Mamunur said that the situation was brought under control at about 8:30pm.
Rani Yan Yan, adviser to the Chakma circle chief, said that it was a planned attack on national minority communities at Dighinala by Bengalis who, she said, were annoyed with the ethnic people remaining vocal and active against any injustice.
Referring to arson attacks at Langadu in 2017, she said that law enforcement agencies took no measures to prevent such attacks in the past also.
Several hundred people from different national minority groups, mostly youths, gathered on the Dhaka University campus at about 8:00pm on Thursday protesting against the incident in the Chattogram Hill Tracts.
They alleged that Bengalis in the area launched attacks on the national communities and set several houses and shops on fire at Dighinala.
Quoting local people, the protesters also alleged that security forces, stationed nearby at Dighinala did not intervene in the matter.
They demanded bringing the people involved in the incident to justice and ensure exemplary punishment.
They also demanded immeidiate withdrawal of 鈥榤ilitary rule鈥� in three hill districts 鈥� Rangmati, Khagrachari and Bandarban.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Khagrachari reported that local people claimed that one critically injured was admitted to hospital after being attacked by Bengalis.
Local people also alleged that law enforcement agencies and security forces took no steps to halt the attack.
The United Peoples Democratic Front in a statement condemned and protested at the attack.
UPDF Khagrachari district coordinator Ongya Marma alleged that law enforcers did not take any action against the Bengalis who attacked hill people.
He also urged the authorities concerned to take necessary actions and bring the attackers to book.
In June 2017, ethnic communities鈥� houses at six hill villages of Langadu in Rangamati were burnt houses allegedly by Bengalis and panicked minority people fled to forests for safety.
The arson attack came after the body of a local leader of then ruling Awami League-backed youth organisation Juba League, Nurul Islam Nayan, was found at Char Kilometre of Khagrachari on June 1, 2017.