Three persons, including Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman and Officer-in-Charge of Rangamati Kotwali Police Station Monu Sohel Imtiaz, were injured on Saturday, when a group of unidentified persons attacked them in Rangamati.
The other injured person was identified as Elora Dewan, a tribal guide. Their injuries, however, were not serious.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman was injured, when miscreants attacked his microbus, which was carrying leaders of the International Commission on Chittagong Hill Tracts. Co-Chair of the Commission and Advisor of the last Caretaker government Advocate Sultana Kamal, its Coordinator Khan Shams Ahmed and Member Barrister Sara Hossain were inside the microbus during the attack. However, they were not hurt.
Rangamati police lobbed tear gas and fired two rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.
Hana Shams Ahmed, Coordinator of the commission, told journalists after the incident that two vehicles-one used by the Commission members and the other by local police-came under the attack at about 1:50pm when the commission members were going to Rangamati town from Rangamati Parjatan Motel.
The Commission has decided to visit Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban to assess whether there was any possibility of violation of human rights if the government decides to establish BGB camps there. Dr Iftekharuzzaman told The New Nation over telephone after the attack that they were shocked by the attack on the Commission members.
“This is aimed at gagging the Commission so that it could not carry out its mission to implement the CHT Accord,” he said, role of the local administration was questionable during the incident.
