Teknaf, Bangladesh: The camp security police fired two rounds at refugees, while they were trying to snatch two arrested refugees from the police, who were detained outside their shed by police yesterday at about 21:30 hours, said a refugee leader from the camp.
The arrested refugees were identified as Ayat Ullah (16), MRC # 90058, Block-D, Shed # 35, Room # 2 of Nayapara camp, and Foris Ahmed ( 22), MRC # 29945, Block-D, Shed # 35, Room # 1 of Nayapara camp.
Yesterday, at about 9 pm, Haron (28), MRC # 42639, Md. Salam (26), MRC # 2737, and Md. Rofique (28), MRC # 2129 of Nayapara camp were gossiping outside a tailor shop in the camp because of excessive heat as their huts are very small. Suddenly, a duty policeman led by four Ansars entered the camp and arrested the three refugees on the allegation that they were out of the sheds. They tried to take them to the police barrack for extortion, said a close relative of Haron.
Hearing the screams of the arrested refugees, some of the refugee women from nearby sheds accompanied by refugee boys and girls snatched the three refugees from the police.
This made the police and Ansars angry. After returning to their camp, they reinforced into 10 to 12 members led by sub-inspector Nepal Borowa re-entered the refugee camp to take revenge, he added.
After entering again at 9:30 pm, the police arrested Ayat Ullah who accompanied by his mother Nur Jahan (45) was going to the latrine. When they screamed, Foris Ahmed (22), MRC # 29945, Md. Salam (42), MRC # 29945 and Rehena Begum (30), asked the police what was happening. Foris Ahmed was also arrested; Md. Salam was severely beaten up with a cane, and the two refugee women, said another refugee committee member.
When the two arrested refugees Ayat Ullah and Foris Ahmed were dragged to the police barrack after being beaten up severely, the refugees from nearby sheds including boys and girls and women of Block-D rushed to the spot and tried to snatch the arrested refugees from the police. As a result, the police fired two rounds on the refugees. But, luckily, no one was hit by the bullets. The refugees retreated and the police took the arrested refugees to their barrack, said an elderly refugee from the camp.
When the incident was happening, the Camp-in-Charge was not present in the camp. He was in Cox’’s Bazaar. On being informed, the Camp-in-Charge rushed to the camp at about 11 pm, and the two arrested refugees were released from police custody.
Yesterday, the Officer-in- Charge (OC) of Teknaf police station also visited the spot, to see the situation, said a woman refugee of the camp.
The camp has been peaceful since 2005. But after appointment of two notorious police officers - Sub-Inspector (SI) Nepal Borowa and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Kawser, harassment has gone up along with extortion, said a refugee committee member who declined to be named.
“It like in Burma, the Nasaka harasses the Rohingya in their homeland to extort money. Now, in Bangladesh we are also getting the same treatment in the refugee camp after the arrival of the two notorious police officers,” he said.
An elder refugee from the camp said, “Why do the Bangladesh police harass innocent refugees like the Nasaka in Burma?”
