Separatist group KNF aka the Bawm Party has been accused of attacking banks in the Upazila
Published : 04 Apr 2024, 10:35 PM
A day after robberies in two banks by suspected separatists in Bandarban’s Thanchi, security forces have engaged in an intense gunfight with a group of armed men for over an hour.
Noor E Alam Mina, a deputy inspector general of police, said the gunfight began at 8:30pm when the armed “terrorists” opened fire from a hill south of Thanchi Police Station.
Police personnel at the station and those deployed to the local market, Thanchi Bazar, retaliated afterwards.
The shooting ended around 9:45pm. “The situation is normal now,” Mina said.
“I visited Thanchi in the morning. We’ve strengthened security. We have additional forces there, and heavy weapons like SMG in the police station,” the DIG for Chattogram Range said.
“We have the ability to tackle them. We’ll work in coordination with the joint force if necessary,” he said, referring to the Rapid Action Battalion and the Army’s operation against separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front or KNF aka the Bawm Party.
A local representative of Thanchi Bazar said they heard sporadic gunshots for over an hour from 8:20pm. The gunfight intensified by the end.
“Locals have already been in panic after bank robberies. The shooting incident has increased their fear,” the representative said.
Earlier, speaking to bdnews24.com over the phone, a tourist in Thanchi said around 9pm that three of them were having dinner at a restaurant when gunshots erupted.
“We fled in the middle of the meal. We’re inside a closed shop with the lights switched off. We can hear heavy gunshots. Some locals are also struck here,” the tourist said.
Mohammad Mamun, chief executive of Thanchi Upazila administration, said the police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel retaliated after a group of armed men opened fire at Thanchi Bazar and the local police station.
“We’re hearing gunshots from behind the hospital. This is the situation right now. We’ll give more details later.”
A trader of Thanchi Bazar said: “Heavy gunfight here. The situation is tense. We’re not in a condition to speak now.”
Md Habib, a local, shared a video of the incident on social media. Shots can be heard along with panicked voices in the video.
Another local told bdnews24.com in the morning that they heard the armed group that robbed the banks on Wednesday moved towards Shahjahan Para by cars. The area is around three kilometres from Thanchi Bazar.
He said they panicked because they believed the armed men were still in that area.
The Bawm Party has been accused of attacking the branches of Krishi Bank and Sonali Bank in the Upazila on Wednesday afternoon.
Another Sonali Bank branch in remote Ruma Upazila was robbed on Tuesday night. The robbers abducted the manager as well.
The RAB said on Thursday evening that the manager was rescued after mediation.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan vowed to strengthen a crackdown on KNF after the attacks despite progress in discussions for peace in the Chattogram Hill Tracts.
On Thursday night, he said they had heard about the shooting and were seriously dealing with the situation.
RAB-15 Commander HM Sazzad Hossain also said they had been told about the shooting in Thanchi. “We don’t have further details now.”