Certain quarters attempting to incite sectarian violence in northeastern hills: Bangladesh's interim govt

Dhaka, Sept 29 (PTI) Bangladesh's interim government on Monday claimed that certain quarters are attempting to incite sectarian violence in the country's northeastern Khagrachhari hill district.

At least three people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday when clashes flared up between aboriginal tribesmen and the settler Bengali community in parts of the southeastern hills over the alleged gang rape of a tribal girl last week.

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury attempted to blame deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina as well as India for the disturbances in the hilly region. He, however, could not provide any evidence in support of his claim.

He said the interim government was taking maximum precautionary measures to counter attempts to destabilise the hills. He added that he feared the attempts were being made to upset the festive mood of the ongoing Durga Puja festival.

"The vested quarter is trying to create unrest to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere of Durga Puja... They are behind the Khagrachhari incident," he alleged.

"We are mobilising our maximum efforts so no one can create further unrest in Khagrachhari," he added.

Media reports and witnesses on Monday said continued tensions forced residents to stay indoors, fearing an outbreak of fresh violence.

The mass circulation Prothom Alo and other newspapers on Monday said the victims were tribesmen who were killed at Guimara township, 36 km south of Khagrachhari, as the violence spread beyond the district headquarters.

The home ministry has said that the violence also left 13 army personnel and three policemen injured. It pledged legal actions against those responsible following an “immediate investigation”.

The district administration on Saturday enforced Section 144 in the region, banning organised movements and rallies for an indefinite period, but the restrictions failed to quell the unrest. PTI AR ZH ZH