At least six people were killed and over 20 others injured when a group of Rohingya armed miscreants reportedly attacked a madrasah at the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar in the small hours of Friday.
It is learnt, when the students and teachers of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Al Islamia Madrasa were preparing for the ‘Tahajjud’ prayers, the miscreants shot and hacked to death four of them. When the Rohingyas started shouting the miscreants fled the scene. Two more people died at the hospital and 20 others were raced to hospital.
The deceased were identified as Hafeez, a resident of Rohingya Camp-12, Block-5, and Madrasa teacher Md Idris, 32, and Ibrahim Hossain, 24, son of late Mufti Habibullah of Camp-9, Block-19, Camp-17, Block-H, Azizul Haque, 22, son of Nurul Islam, 52, and Mohammad Amin, 32, son of Abul Hossain, a volunteer from the same camp.
Madrasah teacher Nur Alam alias Halim, 45, son of Mohammad Nabi of FDMN Camp-18, Block-F-22, and Hamidullah, 55, son of Rahim Ullah of FDMN Camp-24, also died at the Rohingya camp hospital.
The attack took place just before dawn on Friday at the madrasah situated in the A-52 block of Ukhia Camp No. 18 in Cox's Bazar.
Initially, the incident was said to be a clash between two groups of Rohingyas, but later, the APBn members in charge of the camp confirmed the attack on the madrasah.
Police have arrested a man with a weapon for being involved in the incident.
Panic has spread in the surrounding camps centring the incident. The district police and APBn are conducting a joint operation to arrest the miscreants.
Students of the madrasah and the Rohingyas, who came to the morgue with the bodies of the victims said that the attack was carried out by a criminal group to occupy the madrasah.
Rafiq, a student at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Al Islamia Madrasah, said a Rohingya group had been threatening the students and teachers for a long time to leave the madrasah. The madrasah authorities informed the administration of the matter. They then got angry and launched attack on the madrasah students and teachers while they were preparing for the ‘Tahajjud’ prayers.
Police arrested an assailant named Mujib with a native shooter gun, six rounds of ammunition and a knife.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Shihab Kaiser, commander of the 7th Armed Police Battalion (APBn), who is in charge of security at the Rohingya camp, said the Rohingyas were attacked at the madrasah in the FDMN Camp-17H-52 block around 4pm on Friday night.
Four FDMN members were killed in the attack. Being informed, the policemen of Mainarghona Police Camp-12 immediately rushed to the spot and rushed the injured to the hospital for treatment. Two more died while they were undergoing treatment.
Police arrested one of the attackers with one shooter gun, six rounds of ammunition and a knife. Police personnel of Mainarghona Police Camp-12 are conducting block raids in 'Madutul Umma' Madrasah, surrounding areas and also in other camps simultaneously. Ukhia police arrived at the spot and sent the bodies to the morgue for autopsy.
Cox's Bazar Superintendent of Police Mohammad Hasanuzzaman said that six bodies had been recovered so far in connection with the attack on a Rohingya camp madrasah. The bodies have been kept in the morgue of Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital. A case is being processed in this regard.
In addition, a joint operation of APBn and district police is underway in the Rohingya camps to arrest the miscreants.
Muhibullah, a top Rohingya leader, was recently shot dead by armed terrorists inside the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia. Police launched an operation to arrest those involved in the killings.
