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Bangladesh: 16 Rohingya arrested in anti-militant crackdown

WION Web Team
NEW DELHIUpdated: Oct 10, 2021, 10:11 PM IST
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A Rohingya refugee walks at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Photograph:(Reuters)

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Mohib Ullah had become one the most respected moderate voices advocating for Rohingya refugees after nearly 800,000 people fled Myanmar for Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district

Bangladesh police arrested at least 16 Rohingya refugees after a series of raids in camps in Dhaka. This comes in after the murder of a top Rohingya community leader last week.

Rights advocate Mohib Ullah was gunned down ten days ago by unidentified assailants outside his office at Kutupalong. 

His family and fellow community leaders blame the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which is a militant outfit behind a series of attacks on Myanmar security posts as they say that Mohib Ullah's growing popularity had enraged the group. 

However, ARSA has denied any involvement in the murder.

Mohib Ullah had become one the most respected moderate voices advocating for Rohingya refugees after nearly 800,000 people fled Myanmar for Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district.

Naimul Huq, the police official in charge of the raids said, "We have arrested 16 people in the past three days as part of a special drive we have launched after the murder of Mohib Ullah." 

Huq added that those arrested were not "involved in the murder of Mohib Ullah" and ARSA does not operate in the camps. 

A senior leader of the slain leader's rights group, while speaking with AFP said, "ARSA has created a reign of terror in the camps."

"Since Mohib Ullah's murder, I haven't been able to go to my home. I've been hiding since the murder. ARSA members are following us and threatening us. I am helpless." 

Another community leader said, "ARSA militants tried to kidnap one of my relatives and the son of one of our members. Now we are all scared of our life. They want to kill me".