By The Rohingya Post

“You should rather die than coming back for water”

Two Rohingya refugee boys were beaten by local Bangladeshi in Cox’s Bazar on April 10.

The incident took place at around 10:30 am when the boys from Block C-3, Unchiprang Rohingya Refugee Camp went out to fetch water from a stream located nearby the office of CIC (Camp-in-charge).

One of the boys who received severe injuries has not been identified. The other refugee is 19-year-old Mohammed Khubybe, son of Mohammed Rafique.

“There is a shortage of water in the camp, two of us went to the stream for water,” said Khubybe to The Rohingya Post.

“Three locals stopped and told us not to get water. Then they beat us like this. We don’t know whether or not the other person will survive after severely beaten up,” he continues.

Video: Mohammed Khubybe explains the incident and shows the beatings.

Khubybe told The Rohingya Post that they were told to rather die in the camp than fetching water from the stream.

As summer enters into its critically hot and humid stage, there is a scarcity of water in Bangladesh and around the region.

There is also a lot of fear among Rohingya refugees and locals over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bangladesh declares a nationwide lockdown urging people to stay at home and practise social distancing.

The lockdown adversely affects over a million Rohingya refugees who have limited access to the source of water, space and healthcare services in the camps where they are told to observe the social distancing practice.