Khagrachhari clash: Probe committee formed as Section-144 underway
Two separate cases have also been filed in incidents involving the rape of a 7th-grade student at Khagrachhari Technical School and College and obstructing government work, and assaulting officials
Khagrachhari district administration has formed a four-member investigation committee to investigate the recent violence following the lynching of a school teacher yesterday afternoon (1 October) over allegations of sexually assaulting a student.
The committee will be headed by Roznil Shahid Chowdhury, the additional district magistrate of Khagrachhari.
In the wake of the violence, authorities have enforced an indefinite Section-144, restricting public gatherings in the district headquarters and surrounding municipal areas to prevent further clashes.
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Two separate cases have also been filed in incidents involving the rape of a 7th-grade student at Khagrachhari Technical School and College and obstructing government work, and assaulting officials.
However, no case has yet been filed regarding the killing of the school teacher Abul Hasnat Muhammad Sohel Rana.
Senior officials of the administration inspected the Khagrachhari market and other affected areas today.
"We will request the public not to take the law into their own hands. The family of the deceased will file a case," said Mohammad Arefin Jewel, superintendent of police of Khagrachhari.
Mohammad Shahiduzzaman, deputy commissioner of Khagrachhari, said, "We have already formed an investigation committee. The enforcement of Section-144 will continue until the situation normalises."
Meanwhile, tension continues to grip Khagrachhari since the mob killing of Sohel Rana, a teacher at Khagrachhari Technical School and College.
What began as a protest quickly spiralled into violence, with reports emerging that at least 20 businesses in the town's Pankhaiyapara and Mahajanpara neighbourhoods were vandalised and looted.
Most of the affected shops, which include clothing stores, beauty parlours, and food outlets, are reportedly owned by members of the ethnic minority community. Even a private hospital did not escape the destruction.
The Khagrachhari district remains under heavy security, with army patrols and additional police forces deployed to maintain order.
Although some long-distance buses resumed service this morning, local roads remain largely deserted, with only a handful of vehicles braving the streets, reports UNB.
The violence traces back to allegations against Sohel Rana, who had previously been jailed in 2021 following a similar accusation of raping a student.
Although he was acquitted in that case, the fresh allegations led to public outrage, culminating in Tuesday's fatal attack.
