A clash broke out between air force personnel and residents of Samity Para on Monday after a group of locals attacked Bangladesh Air Force Base Cox’s Bazar following an altercation at a checkpoint, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
According to a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the incident began when a local man was stopped at an air force checkpoint near Biam School and he was taken inside the base for questioning by the air force provost due to lack of proper documents for his motorcycle.
Shortly after, the release said, around 200 or more residents from ‘Samiti Para’ gathered near the base, leading to a confrontation with air force personnel, said the release.
As tensions escalated, a clash ensued, during which miscreants allegedly encouraged by ill-intentioned groups hurled bricks and stones at air force members, injuring several personnel.
The ISPR statement mentioned that four air force members—one officer and three airmen—sustained injuries in the attack.
Besides, a local youth, Shihab Kabir Nahid, suffered critical injuries and was transported to a hospital in an air force vehicle, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Miscreants attack Air Force base in Cox’s Bazar: ISPR
To safeguard the base, which is a strategically significant installation, air force personnel fired blank rounds in accordance with standard "Rules of Engagement," the release stated. However, ISPR clarified that no live ammunition was used against the protesters.
ISPR also addressed claims circulating on social media alleging that Nahid was shot by air force personnel, calling them "entirely false."
It said that an analysis of widely circulated images of bullet casings proved they were from blank rounds, which are non-lethal and only produce sound.
The Bangladesh Air Force extended its condolences to the deceased’s family.
ISPR also pointed out that some online news portals and social media posts had misrepresented the base’s official name as “Bangladesh Air Force Base Sheikh Hasina.”
The release clarified that the base was officially renamed “Bangladesh Air Force Base Cox’s Bazar” through a government gazette on December 2, 2021, and the name remains unchanged.