Tension has erupted in Hathazari, Chattogram, after a controversial video was posted on Facebook, leading to a face-off between two groups. To bring the situation under control, the local administration has imposed Section 144, while police have detained the youth who posted the video.
Around 10 p.m. on Saturday, Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdullah Al Mubin issued the order. According to the administration, Section 144 will remain in effect until 3 p.m. Sunday, covering the area from Mirerhat to 11 Mile and from the Upazila Gate to the Agricultural Training Institute.
Witnesses and police sources said that a youth, who was part of a procession celebrating Jashne Julus, made obscene gestures toward the Hathazari Central Mosque and posted the video on Facebook. The video quickly spread, angering students of Darul Uloom Moinul Islam Madrasa and followers of the Qawmi community. Police from Fatikchhari later detained the youth.
In the evening, clashes broke out as both groups accused each other of throwing stones. Several vehicles were vandalized. Later, madrasa authorities, through an announcement from mosque loudspeakers, urged students to leave the streets and return to the madrasa premises. Meanwhile, Sunni groups gathered at the Kachari Road area of Hathazari. Both groups set tires on fire during protests, blocking traffic on the Hathazari–Khagrachhari road.
According to claims from both sides, at least 30 people were injured in the clashes.