A Bangladeshi businessman was allegedly shot by armed Rohingya men after Friday prayers at a mosque inside Rohingya Camp 14 in Ukhiya on Friday, raising fresh concerns over security in and around the refugee camps.
The victim, Obaidul Haque Lalu, 30, suffered a gunshot wound to his right ankle and is undergoing treatment at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.
The incident took place around 1:40pm in Block C-2 of Camp 14 in Palongkhali Union, according to police and local residents.
Police said Lalu was leaving Masjid-e-Sunnah after Friday prayers when an altercation broke out between him and several Rohingya men.
The situation reportedly escalated and armed men opened fire at him.
Local residents said they heard about five gunshots.
Lalu, son of Abul Hossen Prokash Bhulu, of Chorkhola in Ward 4 of Palongkhali Union, was initially taken to the MSF hospital in Kutupalong by locals. Doctors later referred him to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for further treatment.
Family members and local residents said the shooting may have been linked to a dispute over land, outstanding payments and previous enmity.
They identified Mohammad Yunus, 35, as one of the men allegedly involved in the confrontation.
Local residents claimed Yunus identifies himself as a commander associated with the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO).
They further claimed that some Rohingya leader – Head Majhi Amanullah, Site Majhi Sabbir Ahmed, Chakma Osman, Mohammad Harun and Mohammad Faruk were among those accompanying Yunus.
The allegations, including the claimed affiliations of the individuals named by locals, could not be independently verified.
Locals also alleged that the armed men crossed a section of the camp’s barbed-wire fencing and entered an adjoining area inhabited by Bangladeshi residents after the shooting, triggering panic.
Jahangir Alam, the victim’s elder brother, said Lalu was targeted as he came out of the mosque.
“We want a proper investigation and the immediate arrest of those responsible,” he said.
M Gafur Uddin Chowdhury, chairman of Palongkhali Union Parishad, expressed concern over what he described as the increasing use of illegal firearms inside the camps.
He called for intensified operations to recover illegal weapons and ammunition from the refugee camps.
Ukhiya Police Station Sub-Inspector Arman Azad said police went to the scene after receiving information about the shooting and brought the situation under control.
“Police are working to establish the actual cause of the incident, recover the weapon used in the shooting and identify and arrest those involved,” he said, adding that the situation was currently calm.
Riaz Uddin Ahmed, acting commander of the 8th Armed Police Battalion (APBn), said a Bangladeshi businessman was injured after allegedly being shot by Rohingya men.
Security measures have been strengthened and additional police personnel deployed in the area following the incident, he said.
The shooting has renewed concerns over the security of Bangladeshi communities living close to the Rohingya camps.
Police said the identities of those responsible and the motive behind the shooting would be established through investigation.
