Hill Voice, 2 October 2024 Khagrachari: It is reported that a Tripura school girl studying in seven grade was raped by her teacher Sohel Rana, the Chief Instructor of Building Construction and Safety Department of Khagrachari Technical School and College and after that he was killed having been hit by a vehicle while escaping passing over the wall from the thrashing of the angry mob.

According to eyewitnesses, yesterday Tuesday (October 1) at around 9 am, the teacher Sohel Rana lured the Tripura student and took her to his quarters. When her classmates saw this, some of them went to the college principal to inquire about the girl.

Later, the girl was rescued from the teacher’s room in the presence of the police and administration. The girl said that the teacher held her and raped her. The angry students then attacked the teacher and beat him up. This time, while escaping by climbing the wall to escape from the beating of the angry students, the teacher, hitting a TomTom (a battery-powered vehicle), fell unconscious on the ground. Later, when he was taken to the hospital, the doctor on duty confirmed his death.

As a result of this incident, the Bengali settlers attacked the students. There was a chase and counter-chase between the students and the Bengali settlers. At this time, a Jumma student was injured being hit in an eye in the attack by the Bengali settlers. Besides, several other students and general public were reported injured.

When this news spread, the Bengali settlers came together from nearby different places around 2 pm to attack the Jumma people’s villages with sticks and local sharp weapons. They involved chases and counter chases with the Jumma people.

Due to this, the settlers tried to attack Mahajan Para of Khagrachari town. Meanwhile, the youth and local residents of Mahajan Para resisted the attacks of the settlers. Later, local youths and residents were forced to retreat when 2 army vehicles arrived there. Taking this advantage, the Bengali settlers vandalized and looted shops and set fire to a house in front of the army. An eyewitness said that although the army and police were present during the attack, they did not stop the attacking settlers in any way, rather they were seen cooperating with the settlers.

At that time, on his way back from the bazar, Ujjal Marma, a devotee of the Adarsha Buddhist Bihara in South Khabangpujjya, was fatally wounded by the settlers on his back. He was later admitted to hospital with serious injuries. It is said that the injured Ujjal Marma’s house is in Ultachari village of Logang in Panchari upazila.

Apart from this, 2 more people were injured in the attack by the Bengali settlers. They are – Kanta Moni Chakma, former municipal councilor, son of Arun Kumar Chakma and Shyamal Kanti Chakma, son of Bhujalal Chakma.

On the other hand, Bengali Settlers looted Buddha idols and other goods from the shop of a Rakhine in Kalyanpur and set them on fire.

Also, the Bengali settlers tried to attack the Jumma areas including Madhupur, Kalyanpur, Pankhaia Para, College Gate, Sluice Gate.

Following the attack, the local administration imposed Section 144 indefinitely in the town from 3 pm. At present, a tense situation is said to be prevailing in nearby areas including Khagrachari town.