A violent confrontation broke out in Chattogram’s Baklia area on Thursday following allegations that a 32-year-old shop worker raped a three-year-old girl inside a residential building. The incident triggered six hours of unrest involving clashes between residents and police, gunfire, and the use of sound grenades. Several people, including journalists, were injured, and an angry mob set fire to a police vehicle. The accused, identified as Md. Monir, was later taken into custody late at night after security forces regained control of the area.

According to local sources, the child’s mother works in a garment factory and her father is a rickshaw puller. Neighbors reportedly detained Monir inside a nearby madrasa after discovering the unconscious child. When police arrived to take the suspect, residents refused to hand him over, demanding immediate vigilante justice and expressing frustration over delays in rape case verdicts. The situation escalated into repeated confrontations between police and residents.

Police later confirmed that the child was sent to the hospital and that legal proceedings were being prepared. Additional police and Rapid Action Battalion units were deployed overnight to stabilize the area.