By Ruma Paul
DHAKA (Reuters) – Ethnic minorities in Bangladesh’s southern hilly area live in concern after clashes during which 4 folks have been killed and dozens wounded, police and witnesses mentioned on Saturday.
Sectarian violence, sparked by the lynching of a Bengali man on Wednesday, has displaced scores of ethnic households after properties and companies have been set on hearth in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) bordering Myanmar and northeast India, they mentioned.
A 72-hour highway and waterways blockade, referred to as by student-led ethnic teams, is underway in three hilly districts of Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban within the CHT, house to a number of indigenous tribal teams.
The protesters are calling for punishment of these answerable for the unrest, which escalated on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of a minimum of 4 males from ethnic minorities.
Many households in Khagrachhari and Rangamati have fled, abandoning burning homes and companies.
Regardless of heavy military, police and Border Guard Bangladesh patrols, residents stay on edge.
“A tense scenario is prevailing… Police and safety forces are collectively patrolling, hopefully, peace will restored quickly,” mentioned Ahsan Habib, deputy inspector common at Chittagong Vary Police.
The Bengali man’s lynching triggered retaliatory assaults on ethnic minority communities, officers mentioned.
Dozens of homes and companies, primarily belonging to Buddhist minorities, have been set on hearth or attacked. Buddhist temples grew to become targets, and loudspeakers in native mosques have been used to incite Bengali mobs, witnesses mentioned.
In response, native authorities have imposed Part 144, a curfew-like measure, in Khagrachhari and Rangamati.
The interim authorities led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohammad Yunus, which took energy after lethal protests that led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina final month, has expressed deep remorse over the violence. It has instructed all safety forces to train most restraint and prioritise the security of all residents.
A high-level committee can be fashioned to research the violence, Dwelling Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury mentioned after a gathering with native political leaders and numerous organisations.
Within the Eighties, the federal government resettled 1000’s of landless Bengali households within the 5,500 sq miles (14,200 sq km) CHT, fuelling stress between the brand new settlers and indigenous teams.
In 1997, the then authorities of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed a peace accord with the Shanti Bahini, a tribal guerrilla group, ending a 25-year insurgency that sought political autonomy for the area.
