kilowatt hour. Land acquisition In 2013, the S. Alam Group of Industries (the plant's local owner) began acquiring land from local residents with the help of the governing Awami League. Residents complained that they were not paid appropriate compensation and were forbidden to contact the group's executives. Protection committee A committee to protect habitation and graveyards was formed after the S. Alam Group said it had acquired about of land in the area, primarily inhabited by subsistence salt farmers. Former union chairman and local Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Liakat Ali was nominated to lead a rally to protect agricultural and residential land, mosques, temples and graveyards from the S. Alam Group and compel a public hearing. Events Frustration with the overlooking of demands and taking land from local residents without proper compensation culminated on March 11, 2016, when hundreds gathered to protest acts by the S. Alam Group of Industries and the government. During a March 19 rally, local Awami League members fired on the crowd. As the crowd dispersed, it became violent. Protests continued, and at a March 23 public hearing attended by about 3,000 people assurances were given that their demands would be considered. Despite the public hearing, S. Alam Group of Industries officials continued their work; on April 2, several engineers and a company director visited the project area. Protesters attacked their motorcade and vandalized a CNG-powered auto rickshaw. Charges were filed against local residents, and seven were arrested within 24 hours. To protest the arrests, a rally was scheduled for April 4 by the "Committee to protect habitation and graveyards". To foil the rally, Awami League members scheduled a meeting for the same date and place and local police invoked a section-144 law banning public gatherings. On April 4, 2016, about 500 villagers defied the section 144 and began demonstrating against the actions of the police and the government. Police and 30 motorcycles carrying Awami League members arrived and ordered the protesters to leave. When the protesters refused, police and Awami League members began firing on the crowd. Four people died at the scene and two more under medical care. Aftermath On April 4, Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Begum Khaleda Zia issued a statement criticizing the government for the killings and demanded that the government conduct a judicial investigation to identify the culprits and bring them to justice. The Chhatra Oikkya Forum announced a general strike