Residents attack Bangladesh air force base in clash with soldiers, leaving 1 dead

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A group of residents in southern Bangladesh on Monday attacked an air force base following an altercation, prompting soldiers to open fire that killed at least one and wounded several others, local media reported.

The military in a statement blamed “miscreants” for attacking the base in Cox’s Bazar.

The country’s largest English-language Daily Star newspaper reported one dead.

The violence broke out after soldiers challenged a man on a motorbike for not wearing his helmet, according to the Bengali-language Prothom Alo newspaper.

The military in a later statement said a local had been brought inside the base for questioning as he did not have the necessary documents for his motorcycle.

It said about 200 people from nearby Samitipara advanced on the base while personnel blocked their path, and a clash ensued, with stones thrown.

The military said several personnel were injured. It said personnel had fired blank rounds, not live ammunition, at the residents.

Bangladesh, run by an interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, has faced challenges in establishing order since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August by an uprising led by students. Mob justice has become a concern.

The interim government launched a crackdown called “Operation Devil Hunt” on Feb. 8 and arrested more than 8,000 people across the country. Hasina’s Awami League party accused the government of arresting its supporters.