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One dead and several injured in clashes at air force base in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Armed Forces claimed that 'local miscreants' attacked the air force base in the city and attempted to set it on fire.
Tensions had been brewing between the residents of Samitipara area and the military over the expansion of the air base and the airport in Cox's Bazar.
The local people had been protesting against the government's move to evict some of them from the area and rehabilitate them elsewhere. On Monday, over a dozen people went to meet the district administrator with their demands but were stopped at a military checkpoint as one was without a helmet, local media reported.
A clash ensued, with videos posted on social media showing soldiers firing shots and residents pelting stones. 'At that time, more than 200 local people from Samitipara advanced towards the air force base and the air force members barred them. As the number of local people increased, a clash broke out between the air force members and some miscreants from Samitipara,' the Inter Services Public Relations of the Bangladesh Armed Forces said.
Ayesha Siddiqua, a military spokesperson, claimed the clash erupted after a resident was taken inside the air base from a checkpoint for questioning as he did not have the necessary documents for his motorcycle.
The military said they were forced to fire blank rounds, not live ammunition, at the civilians after violence ensued and several of their personnel were injured.
A man identified as Shihab Kabir Nahid was injured in the clashes and died on his way to hospital. The military denied that he was injured in firing by soldiers.
'Analysing the pictures of the cartridge that have been circulated proves that it was a blank cartridge which is non-lethal and only produces sound,' the military said. 'Bangladesh Air Force expresses deep condolence over the death of the youth and sympathises with his family members.'
Cox's Bazar has been in international headlines for over a decade for giving refuge to over a million Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in the neighbouring nation of Myanmar.
Bangladesh, run by an interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, has faced challenges in establishing order since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August by a street agitation led by students. Mob violence in particular has become a pressing concern.
On Monday, the Manusher Jonno Foundation, a rights group in Dhaka, expressed deep concern over the decline in law and order in the country, citing an increase in gender-based violence, harassment and restrictions on women's mobility.
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Everyone was evacuated to the grounds to make space for the ambulance and the helicopter to take the pupils to the nearest hospitals," the senior teacher said. "Everyone who could help, including teachers, staff and pupils, jumped in to the rescue without thinking twice." Doctors said late on Monday that about two dozen people remained in a critical condition, out of a total 165 injured. A blood donation camp has been opened at a specialised burns hospital where most of the injured were being treated. Twenty bodies have been handed over to their families, with some needing DNA matching after they were charred beyond recognition. Many relatives waited overnight at the burns hospital while identification processes were carried out. Nasima Begum was among the mothers whose children were admitted to the hospital after suffering severe burns in the crash. Her son, who studies in grade seven, was playing when the crash happened, Ms Begum told The Independent. "He's completely burned," she said. "It has been more than 24 hours, his state is critical. The doctors are not saying anything positive. This is the second hospital we have had to take him," she said, as she prayed to Allah to save her son. Rubina Akter said her son Raiyan Toufiq had a miraculous escape after his shirt caught fire when he was on a staircase. "He sprinted to the ground floor and jumped on the grass to douse it," she told Reuters. "He tore his shirt and vest inside which saved him from severe burns." Another student who had already left the classroom after finishing his exam told BBC Bangla: "My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, he died right in front of my eyes." Rescue workers continued to scour the charred buildings for debris on Tuesday as distressed residents of the area looked on. Abul Hossain mourned his nine-year-old daughter after saying his final goodbye on Monday night. "I took her to school yesterday morning like every day. I had no idea it would be the last time I would be seeing her," he said. The pilot, Flight Lt Mohammed Toukir Islam, who died in the crash, made "every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location," the military said. The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a "technical malfunction" moments after takeoff from the AK Khandaker air force base at 1.06 pm local time on Monday, the military added. It was the pilot's first solo flight as he was completing his training course. It remained unclear if he managed to eject before the jet hit the building. The Bangladesh air force said it has launched a formal investigation. The government declared Tuesday was a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast and special prayers at all places of worship as hundreds of students protested near the site of the crash. The Milestone school is located about 11km from the air force base in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes. The protesting students transparency over the numbers and identities of the dead and injured, compensation for their families, and an immediate halt to the use of "outdated and unsafe" training aircraft by the Bangladesh Air Force. They chanted slogans and accused security officials of beating them and manhandling teachers. The students angrily confronted two senior government advisers who arrived to visit the scene, forcing them to take cover for six hours inside the school campus before additional security forces arrived and escorted them out. Scores of students suffered injuries after police charged them with batons after they broke through security barricades and entered the Bangladesh Secretariat complex, elsewhere across the capital. Security fired tear gas and used stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Monday's plane crash was the deadliest aviation incident in the Bangladeshi capital in decades. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem. Bangladesh's F-7 is a modern variant of China's Chengdu F-7, itself modelled on the Soviet MiG-21. While considered outdated by global standards, it remains in service due to its cost-effectiveness and suitability for pilot training and limited combat roles. Its production ceased after China delivered the last of 16 units of F-7 BGIs to Bangladesh in 2013. The incident comes as neighbour India is still grappling with the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade after an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad city in Gujarat last month, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground.
