Three people were shot dead during a protest against a rape from a school student on Sunday, afternoon in Guimara Upazila in Khagrachdi district of Bangladesh. Four other people were injured in this incident. The protesters were blocking the Guimara road under the Jumma student Janata Manch. The security force arrived at 11:30 am, saying and then heavy firing started. After this violence, shops were looted and on fire.
After the firing, several shops were looted and set on fire in Guimara’s Rameshu Bazaar. These shops were mostly indigenous people. Nearby houses were also vandalized, whose pictures and videos went viral on social media.
Eyewitnesses said that they were shooting peacefully before the intervention of law enforcement personnel, when they were shot at. Around 1:00 pm, around 25 people looted and set fire to the market.
UPDF accused of inciting violence
Armed Forces Media Wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a statement, accused the United People’s Democratic Front (UPFD) and its colleagues of inciting violence in Khagrachdi. ISPR said that UPDF workers blocked the road in Rameshu Bazaar, which was a violation of section 144, and struggled with people from Bengali community.
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Attacks and firing on security forces
According to the ISPR, armed groups attacked them with bricks, sticks and local weapons when the army personnel were trying to intervene. 10 soldiers including three officers were injured in this attack. BGB personnel were also attacked and one of their vehicles was damaged. The ISPR alleged that around 11:30 pm, armed members of the UPDF fired 100-150 rounds from a hill in the west of the Rameshu market.
Civil surgeon Mohammad Saber of Khagrachhari confirmed the dead of three people to the Sadar Hospital and the injuries of four people. At the same time, the Ministry of Home Affairs expressed deep grief over the incident. The ministry claimed that three people were killed in the ‘miscreants’ attack and three army personnel including a major and three policemen, including an officer of Guimara police station, were injured. The ministry assured that the culprits will be punished after investigation and no criminal will be spared.
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Demand and blockade of Jumma community
Jumma student public has announced an indefinite road blockade in three hill districts from today, demanding justice for the rape victim. The group alleged that the Army and Setlers looted and arson in Guimara, killing four people. Their demands include immediate arrest of two remaining accused, adequate financial compensation to the victim and compensation for rehabilitation of displaced people.
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