CHATTOGRAM, Aug 06: The law-and-order situation has worsened in the port city in the absence of police from discharging their routine duties following the fall of the Awami League government.
Spot accounts of the situation revealed on Tuesday students were controlling the traffic system with no police presence there. However, few vehicles were seen ruling the roads.
Miscreants attacked police stations on Monday night in addition to rampaging homes and residences of some leaders of Awami League and its affiliates Jubo League and Chhatra League.
Against this backdrop, panic has gripped the inhabitants of both the port city and rural areas for lack of security. People come out only for emergencies.
Sources said a three-hour looting spree culminated in a devastating fire at Kotwali police station on Monday. Violence erupted soon after the army chief had announced Sheikh Hasina's resignation as prime minister.
Trouble began around 2:00 pm on the day.
The situation deteriorated faster as an incensed mob began scaling thana walls, forcing at least 80 officers, including additional deputy commissioner Noble Chakma and assistant commissioner Atanu Chakraborty, to stay inside.
Miscreants smashed glass doors and vandalised vehicles there. Inside, they ransacked offices and broke into the armoury, stealing weapons and personal belongings from the barracks.
Describing the chaos, constable Ansarul Karim said: "I left after ensuring all the officers had escaped. As I returned, I saw people stealing motorcycles and other items. They even looted weapons."
The rowdies set the police station on fire around 6:30 pm, destroying nearly all ground-floor rooms. It took until 8:30 pm for the fire service to arrive and begin extinguishing the flames.
The aftermath was stark yesterday (Tuesday). The station lay in ruins. Burnt-out armoured vehicles and police vans littered the grounds, with over 30 wrecked motorcycles blocking the entrance.
The reception area, duty officer's room and officer-in-charge's room were reduced to ashes. The arsenal's contents were strewn across the lawn, and vital documents in the vault incinerated.
CMP commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam said five police stations-Kotwali, Sadarghat, Doublemooring, Patenga, EPZ and Pahartali-were attacked, looted and torched, injuring hundreds of officers and stealing firearms.
According to sources, the Kotwali incident in Chattogram marks a significant escalation in unrest, highlighting the fragile security situation and the urgent need for effective response measures.
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