A Rohingya community leader, locally known as “head majhi”, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in a refugee camp in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday, marking the second fatal shooting in two days in the camps.
The deceased, identified as Nur Kamal, was the Head Majhi of Block B-41 at Rohingya Camp 8-East. He was the son of Mostaq Ahmed and is reported to be the brother of Nabi Hossain, the chief of the alleged armed group ‘ARA’.
According to local sources and eyewitnesses, the attack occurred around 2pm on Wednesday when a group of unidentified armed miscreants opened fire on Nur Kamal while he was present in his block.
He collapsed after being struck by gunfire, while the assailants fled the scene, triggering widespread panic across the camp.
He was rushed to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital in critical condition, where the attending physician pronounced him dead later that afternoon.
His body has been kept at the hospital morgue for post-mortem.
Mohammad Riaz Uddin Ahmed, commanding officer of the 8 Armed Police Battalion (APBn), stated that additional police forces were deployed immediately following the incident.
“An operation is currently underway to identify and bring those involved under the law,” he said.
Mujibur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ukhiya Police Station, confirmed that the APBn and district police are working jointly to maintain law and order in the camps.
He added that officials have already visited the crime scene and operations are underway to apprehend the suspects.
This latest assassination follows a similar incident on 5 May, when Kefayet Ullah Halim, also known as Abdul Halim -the leader of the ‘Halim Bahini’-was shot dead in another Rohingya camp in Ukhiya.
Two other individuals sustained gunshot wounds during that attack. Law enforcement agencies are continuing their efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for both incidents.
