Maungdaw, Arakan State -A Rohingya man arbitrarily charged for killing the In-Charge of his village jumped off the van and fled as the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) was taking him back to the detention in Maungdaw Township last Monday evening. 

The victim is identified to be Irshadullah from Nyaung Chaung (Khadir Bil) village in Maungdaw Township. He was arbitrarily accused of assassinating the village In-Charge (who was also a Rohingya) on January 26, 2015 when the authorities failed to find out the unknown killer. (Read the Related Report: HERE)

“Mr. Irshadullah was accused of killing Mr. Zakir, the village in-charge of Khadir Bil, without any evidences and subsequently arrested by the BGP in January. He has been detained and tortured in the BGP’s cell in 4-Mile-Area in Maungdaw since then.

On Monday morning, the BGP took 25 detainees including him to the Maungdaw Township Court for the hearing of their cases. Later in the evening, the BGP was taking them back to the detention by a ‘Tiba’ Van after the court-hearings. As they reached at ‘Myothu Gyi (Hainda Fara)’ village, he jumped off the van and ran away to save himself from the cruel treatments in the cell and getting imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit,” said a local in Maungdaw.

When he jumped off, one of his hands was cuffed and another part of the handcuffs was held by a BGP personnel. Therefore, as he jumped off, the BGP personnel, too, fell off the van and got slightly injured on his head, according to an eyewitness.

Later, trucks load of BGP personnel arrived at Myothu Gyi village to search for him. Although they besieged the village and thoroughly looked for him but he was nowhere there to be found. Rumours say that he has already fled to Bangladesh.

“We fear that other unrelated/innocent people might be arrested by BGP in relation to this incidence. They don’t follow any law as they are armed-forces. So, they can do anything,” said an elderly Rohingya.