Banshkhali tense two days after death of four in clash over coal-fired power plant

The situation at Gondamara union in Chittagong’s Banshkhali is yet to get normal two days into death of four people in police firing on villagers protesting against a coal-fired power plant.

Neither police nor someone from the administration visited the area on Wednesday.

The inhabitants of the village have continued demonstration against the power plant.

Wearing black badges, they gathered and shouted slogans against the station in a demonstration on Gondamara Government Primary School premises.

In Chittagong City, a group of teenagers, under the banner of ‘Aware Students of Banshkhali’ demonstrated in favour of the construction of the plant .

Several of them said they were not from Banshkhali.

Police have handcuffed two persons undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital for bullet injuries during the clashes on Monday.

They have been identified as Zahirul Islam and Abdul Khaleq.

Khaleq lost his two uncles – Mortuza Ali and Anwarul Islam - in the clashes.

A forum of Banshkhali students in Chittagong had called a shutdown for Wednesday demanding judicial investigation into the incident.

But traffic at Banshkhali was normal throughout the day. No demonstration in support of the shutdown was seen either.

Four persons were killed and at least 19, including police personnel, were injured during clashes between police and people protesting against the power plant of S Alam Group at Barhaghona of Banshkhali’s Gondamara on Monday.

The families of the deceased persons have initiated two cases while police filed one against 6,000 people accusing them of attack and obstruction to duty.