Rohingya camp fire that left thousands without shelter was 'planned sabotage', probe panel says

New Delhi: The fire that left thousands of Rohingyas homeless last week was a “planned and purposeful act of sabotage,” according to the investigators.

The report was presented by a seven-member panel formed to investigate the fire. They interviewed 150 eyewitnesses, reported BBC.

Abu Safian, who led the seven-member government commission, told a news conference, “The Rohingya we spoke to have claimed that it was a planned sabotage.”

He added, “At least five places caught fire within a short period of time. The day before the fire, there were shootings and clashes over dominance in that camp. Some people in the camps restricted refugees from dousing it, allowing the fire to burn the shelters.”

Safian also stated that the fire was planned as it broke out in several places at once, and claimed that it was started by militant groups as they planned to “dominate” the camps.

He said that the incident will be further investigated to identify the militant groups behind the incident.

According to AFP, the fire broke out around 2:45 pm (0845 GMT) at camp number 11 in Kutupalong, one of the world’s largest refugee settlements, and rapidly engulfed the bamboo-and-tarpaulin shelter.

At least 35 mosques and 21 learning centres for the refugees were also destroyed, though there were no reports of any injuries or deaths. The blaze was brought under control in less than three hours.

With inputs from agencies

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