Guimara market, houses set on fire amid blockade

A major fire broke out at Ramesu Bazar in Guimara upazila of Khagrachhari on Sunday afternoon, leaving several shops and houses gutted. The incident occurred during a blockade enforced under the banner of Jumma Students and People in protest against the gang rape of a hill adolescent girl.

Videos and images of the blaze have since gone viral on Facebook, showing rows of shops engulfed in flames. Most of the affected shop owners are reported to be from the indigenous hill communities.

Eyewitnesses said that unidentified individuals set fire to the market, destroying at least 20 shops and houses. Several motorcycles were also torched. They added that 20–25 masked attackers looted shops and homes before setting them ablaze.

Calling the attack “premeditated,” Dipayan Tripura, a community leader, said: "At the very time a meeting was being held at the district commissioner’s office with top government officials, including the Hill Affairs adviser, innocent hill people came under attack and their properties were set on fire. This cannot be accepted."

Swichisai, an organizer of Jumma Students and People, claimed that law enforcement personnel carried out searches in Ramesu Bazar after noon and behaved aggressively. When locals gathered to protest, clashes broke out, leading to chase-and-counter-chase. He alleged that rubber bullets were fired at unarmed protesters, leaving six to seven people seriously injured, three of them critically.

Contacted over phone, Md. Enamul Haque Chowdhury, officer-in-charge of Guimara Police Station, said: "There have been clashes between hill people and Bengalis centering the blockade, as well as confrontations with law enforcement. The situation remains tense. Details will be provided later."