[🇧🇩] Chittagong Hill Tracts----A Victim of Indian Intervention

[Saif]

আইন-শৃঙ্খলার অবনতি করলে কঠোর ব্যবস্থা: রাঙ্গামাটিতে স্বরাষ্ট্র উপদেষ্টা

‘যারা ভবিষ্যতে আইন-শৃঙ্খলা পরিস্থিতির অবনতি করবে, তাদের হাত ভেঙে দেওয়া হবে।’

bangla.thedailystar.net

আইন-শৃঙ্খলার অবনতি করলে কঠোর ব্যবস্থা: রাঙ্গামাটিতে স্বরাষ্ট্র উপদেষ্টা
‘যারা ভবিষ্যতে আইন-শৃঙ্খলা পরিস্থিতির অবনতি করবে, তাদের হাত ভেঙে দেওয়া হবে।’

ছবি: ইউএনবি

ভবিষ্যতে আইন-শৃঙ্খলা পরিস্থিতির অবনতি ঘটালে কঠোর ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া হবে বলে হুঁশিয়ার করেছেন স্বরাষ্ট্র উপদেষ্টা লেফটেন্যান্ট জেনারেল (অবসরপ্রাপ্ত) জাহাঙ্গীর আলম চৌধুরী।

তিনি বলেন, 'যারা ভবিষ্যতে আইন-শৃঙ্খলা পরিস্থিতির অবনতি করবে, তাদের হাত ভেঙে দেওয়া হবে।'

আজ শনিবার দুপুর সাড়ে ১২টায় রাঙ্গামাটির রিজিয়নের প্রান্তিক হলে তিনি এ কথা বলেন।

এর আগে গত দুই দিন সংঘর্ষ, ভাঙচুর ও অগ্নিসংযোগের পর পরিস্থিতি নিয়ন্ত্রণে রাঙ্গামাটির বিভিন্ন রাজনৈতিক দলের প্রতিনিধিদের সঙ্গে স্বরাষ্ট্র উপদেষ্টা বৈঠক করেন।

তিনি বলেন, 'যে অপ্রীতিকর ঘটনা ঘটেছে তার জন্য আমরা একটি উচ্চ পর্যায়ের তদন্ত কমিটি গঠন করব। আইন-শৃঙ্খলা কোনো অবস্থায় অবনতি হতে দেওয়া যাবে না। এর জন্য সবার সহযোগিতা কামনা করছি। কেউ যদি আইন-শৃঙ্খলার অবনতি করে, তাদের কোনো অবস্থায় ছাড় দেওয়া হবে না।'

আইন-শৃঙ্খলা উন্নতির জন্য সব সম্প্রদায়কে সহযোগিতার আহ্বান জানান তিনি। পাহাড়ে যাতে শান্তি-শৃঙ্খলা বজায় থাকে, সে জন্য তিনি জনগণদের বোঝানোর আহ্বান জানান।

এ সময় স্থানীয় সরকার, পল্লী উন্নয়ন ও সমবায় মন্ত্রণালয় উপদেষ্টা এ এফ হাসান আরিফ বলেন, পাহাড়ে সবাই সম্প্রীতি চাই। সম্প্রীতি নষ্ট করার জন্য বাইরে থেকে ষড়যন্ত্র করা হচ্ছে। তারা যাতে পাহাড়কে নিয়ে ষড়যন্ত্র করতে না পারে তার জন্য সবাইকে সজাগ থাকে হবে।

এদিকে, খাগড়াছড়ির দীঘিনালা ঘটনাকে কেন্দ্র করে রাঙ্গামাটিতে অনাকাঙ্ক্ষিত ঘটনার পুনরাবৃত্তি যাতে না হয় তার জন্য প্রশাসনের ১৪৪ ধারা বলবৎ আছে। অপর দিকে তিন পার্বত্য জেলায় পাহাড়ি ছাত্র-জনতার ডাকে চলছে ৭২ ঘণ্টার অবরোধ। সড়ক ও নৌ পথ অবরোধ ও যানবাহনের ধর্মঘটের কারণে রাঙ্গামাটিতে সব কটি সড়ক ও নৌ পথে সব ধরনের যানবাহন ও নৌ পথে লঞ্চ চলাচল বন্ধ রয়েছে।​

 

[Saif]

Fear reigns in CHT

Fear reigned supreme in the Chittagong Hill Tracts where life came to an abrupt halt on Saturday following two previous days of sectarian violence in Khagrachhari and...

www.newagebd.net

Fear reigns in CHT
Staff Correspondent 22 September, 2024, 00:28

National minority people of plain land holds a protest rally, demanding justice for the killing and arson attacks on the hill people in Rangamati and Khagrachari, at the Anti-Violence Raju Memorial Sculpture on the University of Dhaka on Saturday. | Md Saurav

Fear reigned supreme in the Chittagong Hill Tracts where life came to an abrupt halt on Saturday following two previous days of sectarian violence in Khagrachhari and Rangamati that left four ethnic minority men killed.

Section 144 imposed in parts of the violence-hit districts prevented the situation from worsening, but failed to restore the atmosphere required to bring hundreds of displaced ethnic minority families back to their homes.

The 72-hour road and waterways blockade enforced by a platform led by ethnic minority students left the restive three hilly districts, including Bandarban, completely detached from the rest of the country, further escalating the tension.

Condemnations poured in from socio-political organisations over the situation and the controversial role of the security forces, particularly the military, in escalating the tension instead of mollifying it.

‘The trust that has been broken cannot be so easily amended,’ said Rahel Chakma, a resident of Dighinala in Khagrachhari, the epicentre of the sectarian violence.

Dighinala is the largest upazila in Khagrachari where the sectarian violence flared up on September 19 leading to displacement of most of the largely Buddhist ethnic minority people comprising more than half of the upazila’s population.

Many of the ethnic minority families moved deep into the forests, taking shelter at their relatives in remote hilly villages where they reached after a perilous journey along with their children and elderly family members.

Many of the ethnic minority families left barefoot, leaving all their belongings back in their homes and businesses that were burned down in an arson attack launched by Bengalis on Thursday.

Bangladesh Buddhist Federation estimated that at least 100 shops and houses, mostly owned by their community members, were completely burned down in Dighinala.

Some of the shops also served as homes to ethnic minority families, said locals.

Buddhists temples also came under attack.

‘The return of ethnic minority families who lived in Bengali-dominated areas to their homes is really uncertain,’ said Triratan Chakma, who also sheltered a family in his home in Dighinala.

Dighinala upazila nirbahi officer Md Mamunur Rashid, however, said that he was not aware about any houses being set on fire.

But he admitted that some people did leave their homes out of fear and that effort was on to bring them back.

In Rangamati, ethnic minority people alleged that scores awaited rescue trapped in places where they had sought shelter after clashes broke out between them and Bengalis on Friday morning.

Some of the trapped people were injured.

‘Some of the injured came under another round of attack after we rescued them and took them to the Rangamati hospital,’ said Atul Chakma, a resident of Rangamati town, who was also injured in the attack.

Nipon Tripura, president, Chattogram Hill Tracts Hill Students Council, said that they rescued 200 people trapped in different places in Rangamati town, including in shops, since Friday afternoon.

The situation in Rangamati turned violent on Friday morning all of a sudden when a demonstration consisting of hundreds of ethnic minority people ended up confronting Bengalis at Banarupa.

About 40 houses and establishments belonging to ethnic minorities were set on fire in Rangamati, prompting scores of families to flee for their lives, some of them so scared that they jumped straight into the Karnaphuli River and swam across it.

There were reports about the violence separating children from their mothers who stayed miles away since Friday.

Imposition of section 144 and the 72-hour blockade stood in the ways of the families reuniting.

Local people said that life came to a complete stop in the CHT on Saturday as the movement of all kinds of vehicles to and from the hilly districts remained completely suspended due to the blockade.

The Bus and Launch Owners Association in Rangamati announced an indefinite strike on Saturday, protesting at the destruction of vehicles during the Friday protest.

The identity of the victim who was beaten to death by Bengalis in Rangamati on Friday was confirmed as Anik Chakma.

‘The situation is under control and no clashes took place after Friday,’ said Refat Asma, upazila nirbahi officer, Rangamati sadar upazila, adding that Section 144 was still in effect until Saturday afternoon.

Police and ethnic minority rights activists saw the sectarian violence to have launched over ethnic minorities as they freshly mobilised demanding restoration of democratic practices in the hills, ending of military rule and illegal settlement and full implementation of the CHT peace accord.

The violence was eventually stoked by the discovery of the body of a Bengali, Mamun, on September 18. Newspapers reported that Mamun, who stood accused in several criminal cases, was lynched by a mob.

The September 19 attack on ethnic minorities in Khagrachhari’s Dighinala was launched from a protest procession brought over Mamun’s death by several thousand Bengalis. The sectarian violence spilled over to Rangamati the next day.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission, an international independent body, in a statement issued on Saturday said that Bengalis blaming ethnic minorities for the Bengali’s murder was unjust and not proven.

The CHT Comission raised question about the military’s role particularly citing two incidents —one of which is the opening of fire by the military on ethnic minority people at the Swanirbhar, Naranghiya and Upazlipara areas of Khagrachhari sadar.

The other incident, the commission said that is the march of a Bengali mob armed with clubs and sticks behind three military pickups around noon in the Fishery Ghat area of Rangamati. The mob attacked ethnic minorities and their property.

The Inter-Service Public Relations, however, claimed that the violence in Khagrachari was caused by the main faction of the United People’s Democratic Front.

The UPDF denied the allegation saying it was false.

A government team led by the home adviser visited some of the affected areas on Saturday. The adviser promised to deal with the situation with iron hand, a fair probe into the violence and restoration of peace.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh, Left Democratic Alliance, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi, National Citizens Committee, Network for Democratic Bangladesh (Europe), Naripokkho, and a group of 45 eminent citizens condemned the sectarian violence and demanded a fair probe into it.

Ethnic minorities in Dhaka held a press conference in front of the Madhur Canteen at Dhaka University, protesting at the incidents in Rangamati and Khagrachari with a 7-point demand, New Age correspondent at the university reported.

They held the event under the banner Bikkhubdho Jumma Chhatra Janata in protest against attacks, arson, looting, vandalism on religious establishments by settler Bengalis with military support in Khagrachari and Rangamati, and shootings by the army that resulted in the killing of four minority people.

The demands included ensuring safety and security of hill people in the three hill districts, especially those affected by communal violence in Khagrachari Sadar, Dighinala, and Rangamati, conducting of an investigation into these recent attacks under the supervision of the United Nations, and ensuring exemplary punishment of those responsible.​

 

[Saif]

CHT violence not an isolated incident: Mirza Fakhrul

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Saturday that the violence that happened in Rangamati and Khagrachhari hill districts on Friday was not an isolated incident rather it was a conspiracy to destabilise the country. "The violent incident in hill

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

CHT violence not an isolated incident: Mirza Fakhrul
FE REPORT
Published :
Sep 22, 2024 09:11
Updated :
Sep 22, 2024 09:11

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Saturday that the violence that happened in Rangamati and Khagrachhari hill districts on Friday was not an isolated incident rather it was a conspiracy to destabilise the country.

"The violent incident in hill tracts (Rangamati and Khagrachari districts) is a part of conspiracy to destabilise the government and the country," he told the media while exchanging views on different issues at the party chairperson's political office at Gulshan in the capital.

Expressing deep concern over the incidents of violence in the hill districts, he said, "The Awami fascist government was ousted by student-mass movement. But the collaborators of the defeated force still engage in creating trouble and anarchy in the country."

"They (collaborators) have been hatching deep conspiracy against the country. The conspirators (collaborators of the fascist Awami League) couldn't accept this historical victory (against Sheikh Hasina) and for this reason they have been continuing the activities of killings and anarchy," he continued.

"The country is yet to become safe fully despite people getting liberated from the terrible misrule of fascist Awami League," he maintained.

He said that the miscreants were desperately trying to destabilise the country. And for this reason they (miscreants) have attacked, killed and injured people in a barbarous style (in Khagrachhari and Rangamati).

"The incidents of heinous attacks on the people in Kgagrachhari and Rangamati are the reflection of the miscreants' desperate attempts to destabilise the country," he maintained.

He said that there was no alternative abut to tackle those miscreants with an iron hand.

He called upon all irrespective of their party affiliation to remain vigilant so that the miscreants could not achieve their goals by carrying out attacks and following the path of bloodshed.

He demanded immediate arrests of those involved in violence in the two hill districts.

He prayed for the salvation of the departed souls of the victims, conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family members and early recovery of the injured people.

Mr Fakhrul Islam Alamgir further said that the caretaker government headed by Dr Muhammd Yunus was formed after discussion with all stakeholders including political parties, students representatives and armed forces.

"They (interim government) are sincere but they lack some experience. However, they will overcome it," he said.

He suggested holding regular meetings between political parties and the interim government aiming to narrow down the existing gap between them ( political parties and the interim government).

He said that the victory on August 5 through students-mass movement has given an opportunity to put the country on the right track.​

 

[Saif]

Crisis deepens as meaningful negotiation eludes CHT

Tension deepened in the Chittagong Hill Tracts with authorities failing as of Sunday to initiate a meaningful negotiation between the national minorities and Bengalis and take proper legal step to...

www.newagebd.net

Crisis deepens as meaningful negotiation eludes CHT
Staff Correspondent 23 September, 2024, 00:34

Army personnel stand guard in Khagrachari district headquarters on Sunday amid road and waterways blockade enforced by national minority groups protesting at the deaths of their fellows in the recent violence. | New Age photo

Tension deepened in the Chittagong Hill Tracts with authorities failing as of Sunday to initiate a meaningful negotiation between the national minorities and Bengalis and take proper legal step to bring the perpetrators of the sectarian violence to book.

The murder case, filed over the death of Mohammad Mamun, 35, on September 19, included three Bengalis as key accused, while mentioned previous enmity as the possible motive, indicating the involvement of a force that turned a rather regular crime into the subject of a violence that rocked the three hill districts.

The police failed to arrest any of the three key accused as of Sunday after failing to contain the violence in the first place though there were witnesses to Mamun’s murder, at least one of them being treated at hospital, according to the murder case.

‘Evidence is there on how the murder was committed and who might be behind it,’ said Kohinoor, Mamun’s sister-in-law, who talked on behalf of Mukta Akter, wife of Mamun who filed the case, as she was too sick to speak.

New Age correspondent in Khagrachari reported that the three key accused in Mamun’s murder are Jubo Dal leader Shakil Ahammad, 37, and two Awami League leaders Rafiqul Alam, 56, and Didarul Alam, 50. Rafiq is a former mayor of Khagrachhari municipality.

The case statement said that Shakil kidnapped Mamun acting on the order of Rafiq and Didar.

Mamun, who the police said stood accused in several criminal cases, was found dead on September 18. The next day several thousand Bengalis brought out a procession in Dighinala protesting at the murder, passing the blame on the national minorities and eventually launching an arson attack gutting nearly 100 shops and houses, mostly belonging to the minorities, and at least one Buddhist temple.

The arson attack forced hundreds of Buddhist families comprising over half of Dighinala’s population to flee for their lives to the forest. Most of them remained hiding in the forest as of Sunday evening at the time of filing of this report.

The Khagrachhari unrest saw three national minority people get killed on September 19 as it spread to Rangamati the next day where one more national minority man was killed and around 50 houses belonging to these communities were vandalised and set on fire.

The violence prompted authorities to impose Section 144 on Friday afternoon on Khagrachhari Sadar and Dighinala upazilas along with Rangamati municipality. The administration in Khagrachari withdrew Section 144 hours later the same day, while in Rangamati it was withdrawn at 11:00am on Sunday.

No cases were filed over the casualties in Khagrachhari until Sunday evening. At least two of the deaths, witnesses and independent human rights observers said, occurred after the military had opened fire on a gathering of the ethnic communities in Khagrachhari sadar.

‘My boy had gone to save a relative’s shop being informed that Bengalis were about to attack Swanirbhar Bazar,’ said Rupsa Chakma, mother of Junan Chakma, who had just turned 21, one of the three dead.

Junan’s family was given Tk 25,000 by the deputy commissioner’s office that promised a fair probe.

Rupsa said that they were yet to decide regarding filing a case over her son’s killing.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission, an independent watchdog, in a statement issued on September 21 said that the military opening fire on a gathering of ethnic minority people resulted in casualties.

Khagrachhari additional superintendent of police Tafiqul Alam said that they contacted families of the deceased who were yet to decide over filing of cases.

‘The police will file case over the incidents if the families don’t,’ said Tafiq without mentioning how long the police would wait for the families to complain.

No case was filed over the Dighinala arson as well.

The family of the fourth deceased, also a national minority youth, Anik Chakma, who died in Rangamati on September 20, said that they knew nothing about the murder case filed on September 21 over the death with the Kotwali police.

When contacted, Anik’s father, Adar Sen Chakma, said that he was not aware about a case filed over his son’s death.

‘We had high hopes for Anik. We sent him to Karnaphuli Degree College ignoring all our hardship,’ said Adar.

A case over the arson in Rangamati was filed on September 22 in which the police allegedly made every effort to keep the content of the case a secret.

‘A delicate crisis involving matters of mutual respect and trust cannot be solved like this,’ said Rahel Chakma, a resident of Dighinala.

Residents of Dighinala who left their houses out of fear had not returned as of Sunday evening.

Their hope of returning home faded after the meeting organised between ethnic minorities and Bengalis on Saturday afternoon over the arson attack in Dighinala ended amidst chaos with Bengalis reluctant to let ethnic leaders speak.

‘We were counting on the meeting to find a resolution to the problem through dialogue,’ said Chayan Bikash Chakma, chairman, Boalkhali union parishad, Dighinala.

‘They won’t even listen to us and we had to leave immediately after the meeting started,’ he said.

Several advisers visited the affected districts on Saturday to mollify the situation. At least one of the advisers was present in the Dighinala meeting that yielded no result, according to the ethnic leaders.

National minority people complained on Sunday facing obstacles from Bengalis during their movement.

The three hill districts, including Bandarban, remained detached from the rest of the country as the 72-hour road and waterways blockade that began on Saturday morning continued amidst an indefinite strike being enforced by the Rangamati’s bus and launch association.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Agreement Implementation Movement held a protest rally in front of the National Museum in the capital at around 3:30pm on Sunday, demanding fair investigation into the violence in the CHT by a committee comprising human rights activists and civil society representatives.

Their other demands included ensuring the security of the national minorities in the CHT, compensating the families of the deceased and those who lost their property, treatment of the injured, and full implementation of the 1997 CHT peace accord.

The students of Jagannath University also demonstrated in Dhaka protesting at the unrest in the CHT. The United People’s Democratic Front, regional political party based in the CHT, demanded a probe under the supervision of the United Nations.​

 

[Saif]

Students call for restoration of peace in Chittagong Hill Tracts

A group of students has called for the restoration of peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Under the banner of 'Students Living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,' they held a protest rally at the base of Dhaka University's anti-terrorism Raju sculpture on Monday. During the public meeting, the studen

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Students call for restoration of peace in Chittagong Hill Tracts
DU CORRESPONDENT
Published :
Sep 23, 2024 21:11
Updated :
Sep 23, 2024 21:11

A group of students has called for the restoration of peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Under the banner of 'Students Living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,' they held a protest rally at the base of Dhaka University's anti-terrorism Raju sculpture on Monday.

During the public meeting, the students expressed concern over the oppression faced by native Bengalis in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. They alleged that a faction seeks to take control of the region by removing military presence, aiming to separate Chatoogram from Bangladesh and create an independent Jummland. They warned that if not addressed, this could lead to the need for visas to access areas like Sajek, Rangamati, and Bandarban.

Rakibul Islam, a Dhaka University student, stated that there are plans to designate Chattogram as the "eighth sister" alongside the Seven Sisters of the Northeast. He asserted that efforts are being made to portray native Bengalis as settlers and pledged to combat any conspiracies aimed at separating the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The students called for the intervention of the army to restore peace in the area.

The protesters displayed placards with slogans such as 'No one is tribal, we are all Bangladeshis,' 'Abolish tribal quota,' and 'Tribal campaigns should be declared treason,' among others.

Later in the evening, they held a torch procession starting from the Raju Sculpture.​