Jubo League leader killed by ‘Rohingyas’
Killing sparks violent protests; locals block Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway for hours; vandalise shops, shanties in Rohingya camp
A Jubo League leader has been shot dead allegedly by a group of Rohingya miscreants in Hnila union of Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila.
Police recovered the bullet-hit body of Omar Faruk, 30, president of Hnila Union Parishad Jubo Leage, from Jadimura area around 12:30am yesterday, said ABMS Doha, inspector (investigation) of Teknaf Police Station.
The murder sparked a massive demonstration in the area as locals blocked the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway for three hours from 10:00am yesterday protesting the murder. They also vandalised a couple of shops and houses inside a Rohingya camp in Jadimura.
They demanded immediate arrest of the killers.
Victim’s brother Amir Hamza said a group of Rohingya miscreants led by Md Selim and Nur Mohammad picked up Faruk from in front of his house around 10:30pm on Thursday.
They then dragged him to a nearby hill and shot him dead, Amir said.
The miscreants also confined him and one of his brothers Osman Gani as they went to the hill following the abduction of Faruk, he added.
However, ABM Masud Hossain, superintendent of police in Cox’s Bazar, told The Daily Star that Faruk went to Jadimura Rohingya camp on Thursday night and had an altercation with the leader of a Rohingya gang.
Following the altercation, the miscreants killed Faruk by shooting him in the head, the SP said.
Police arrested two Rohingya refugees -- Abdur Rahman, 32, and Mohammad Hossain, 34 -- in connection with the murder, he said, adding that they were investigating the murder.
The body was sent to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy while filing of a case over the murder was underway, police said.
Victim’s father Abdul Monaf, 61, told this newspaper that his son was going to contest the upcoming union parishad election which is supposed to take place next year.
Faruk’s political opponents hired Rohingya miscreants to kill him, Monaf claimed.
Informed about the protest, Teknaf Upazila Chairman Nurul Alam, UNO Rabiul Hasan, Executive Magistrate Abul Munsur and Teknaf Police Station Officer-in-charge Prodip Kumar Das went to the spot to pacify the agitated mob.
Later, the mob withdrew their protest around 1:00pm.