Staff Reporter:
Police have filed three lawsuits against over a thousand unidentified individuals in connection with the violence in Khagrachhari during Saturday-Sunday.
One case was filed over Saturday’s violence in Khagrachhari Sadar Upazila on Monday night, confirmed the upazila police station’s Officer-in-Charge Abdul Baten Mridha. Around 700-800 unnamed people have been accused in the case.
Two more cases have been filed over Sunday’s violence in Guimara upazila, said Guimara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Enamul Haque Chowdhury.
One case involves the murder of three ethnic minority youths with firearms during law enforcers’ clashes with agitators and terrorists from ethnic minority groups.
Sub-Inspector Sohel Rana filed the case after the victims’ families repeatedly declined to pursue legal recourse, potentially out of fear of repercussions.
Another case involves Section 144’s violation by agitators on Sunday and attacks on law enforcers as well as local Bengali community.
The violence erupted amid a blockade enforced by Jumm-Chhatra-Janata, an ethnic minority group, in protest against the alleged rape of a Marma schoolgirl on 23 September. However, a medical examination of the victim did not find any evidence of rape.
The army and government advisers have rejected the blockade enforced by ethnic separatists, and arbitrary violence during the movement, saying these were aimed at destabilising the country and sparking minority security concerns during the Durga Puja festival.
Even before the medical rape test proved negative and the violence occurred, law enforcers had remanded prime suspect Shoyon Shil, 19, on demands from ethnic groups, officials have said.
The “Jumm-Chhatra-Janata” has suspended the blockade till 5 October.
