Between 17 and 27 March – covering Shab-e-Qadr, government-declared holidays, and Eid al-Fitr – at least 28 reports of violence and clashes were recorded. Nine people lost their lives and at least 251 were injured in these clashes.
These clashes resulted in at least 30 houses being looted and vandalized, while a boat and 10 to 12 motorcycles were set on fire. Roads remained blocked for hours in some areas.
During the Eid al-Adha holidays, newspapers reported nine separate incidents of violence. Of these, two occurred in Brahmanbaria, while one each occurred in Habiganj, Mymensingh, Faridpur, Noakhali, Shariatpur, Cox’s Bazar and Rajbari.
Analysis of the causes shows a wide and often surprising range of triggers. Clashes broke out over the sale and cutting of meat, the location of Eid prayers and even over something as trivial as shining torchlight into someone’s eyes. Other reasons include not queuing up for fuel, disputes over the sale of motorcycles, arguments over cricket matches and even being questioned for arriving late to the office. Conflict also erupted over unpaid debts, taking photos or videos, overtaking vehicles, political dominance and long-standing feuds. Along with local weapons, buckshot and crude bombs were also used in these clashes.
These 28 incidents spread across 18 districts. Brahmanbaria emerged as a hotspot with seven incidents – all occurring in different villages of Nasirnagar upazila. Three cases were registered in Shariatpur, while two cases each were registered in Faridpur and Kishoreganj. Single incidents were reported in Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Bagerhat, Barishal, Dinajpur, Natore, Kushtia, Rajbari, Magura, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Narail and Chuadanga.