Residents attack Bangladesh air force base in altercation with soldiers, leaving 1 dead
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A group of residents in southern Bangladesh on Monday attacked an air force base following an altercation, prompting soldiers to open fire that killed at least one and wounded several others, local media reports said.
The military in a statement blamed “miscreants” for attacking the air force base in Cox’s Bazar. It did not mention any casualties.
The country’s largest English-language Daily Star newspaper reported one dead.
The violence broke out after a man on a motorbike was challenged by air force soldiers for not wearing his helmet, according to the Bengali-language Prothom Alo newspaper. After an altercation, the man’s relatives and neighbors came forward and started attacking the base, the report said.
Bangladesh, which is run by an interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, has faced numerous challenges in establishing order since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in early August by a mass uprising spearheaded by students. Mob justice has become a concern.
The interim government launched a nationwide crackdown called “Operation Devil Hunt” on Feb. 8 and arrested more than 8,000 people across the country. Hasina’s Awami League party blamed the government for arresting their supporters.