ISPR provides clarification on the youth's killing in Cox’s Bazar

ISPR Issues Statement on Cox’s Bazar Clash and Youth’s Death

Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) has released a press statement regarding the recent clash at an under-construction Air Force base in Cox’s Bazar. The statement, issued on Monday afternoon, also clarified the circumstances surrounding the death of a youth during the incident.

According to the ISPR, a group of local miscreants from Samitipara launched an attack on the Air Force base on Monday. The situation escalated after Air Force Provost personnel took a local man inside the base for questioning from the check post near BIAM School, as he was unable to provide documents for the motorcycle he was riding.

Shortly after, over 200 local residents from Samitipara moved towards the Air Force base, prompting Air Force personnel to intervene. As tensions rose, a violent clash erupted between the Air Force members and some of the locals. The miscreants, allegedly instigated by certain groups, hurled bricks at the Air Force personnel, injuring several individuals, including four Air Force members—one of whom was an officer. Amid the confrontation, a youth named Shihab Kabir Nahid was injured and later succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a local hospital in an Air Force vehicle.

In response to the attack, Air Force personnel fired blank rounds in accordance with “rules of engagement” to protect the Key Point Installation (KPI). The ISPR emphasized that no live rounds were fired at the local residents. The statement also noted that an Armed Forces vehicle sustained damage from stone-throwing, and locals attempted to set fire to nearby bushes, though the fire did not spread significantly.

The ISPR further claimed that a vested group is spreading false information on social media, alleging that the youth was shot by Air Force personnel to tarnish the force’s reputation. The statement clarified that circulated images of cartridges prove they were blank rounds, which are non-lethal and only produce sound. The Bangladesh Air Force expressed deep condolences over the youth’s death and extended sympathies to his family.

Additionally, the ISPR addressed misinformation regarding the name of the air base. It confirmed that, as per a government circular issued on December 2, 2021, the base is officially named "Air Force Base, Cox’s Bazar," countering claims that it was named after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.