JSS seeks judicial inquiry for recent violence in CHT
Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samity (JSS) has demanded judicial investigation into the violence that took place in Khagrachhari, Dighinala and Rangamati on 18-20 September.
The JSS termed the violence as ‘communal attack’ in a report today.
The report said Bangali settlers, in cooperation with certain quarters, carried out communal attacks and arson on Jumma (hill) people, their houses and business establishments including the office of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council in Khagracchari Sadar and Dighinala on 18-19 September and Rangamati Sadar on 20 September.
Four Jumma people were killed and over a hundred were injured in the attacks, the JSS said.
JSS’ assistant secretary for information and publicity Sajib Chakma sent the report to the media. After an armed battle for two decades, JSS signed the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace treaty with the Bangladesh government in 1997. The organisation’s chief Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma (Shantu Larma) is now chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, which was established through the peace treaty.
A Bangali youth named Md Mamun was beaten to death in Khagrachhari Sadar on allegation of motorcycle theft on 18 September. Violence erupted between Bengali and hill people in Dighinala the following day. A man named Dhananjaya Chakma was beaten to death at Dighinala that day. Two ethnic minority youths were killed at Sadar upazila in a shootout that night.
Protesting the deaths, ethnic minority people brought out a procession under the banner of ‘Hill Students against Violence and Discrimination’ in Rangamati. As the rally reached the Banarupa area in the town, a clash erupted between ethnic communities and Bangalis. Later, an eleventh grader named Anik Kumar Chakma was beaten to death at South Kalindipur road in broad daylight. The video went viral on social media.
The JSS report detailed the incidents of 20 September.
"It has been learnt that over 200 students and youths of UPDF, which is against the CHT peace treaty, took part in the procession of hill students against violence and discrimination in Rangamati. As the procession reached in front of the district education office, a slogan was chanted ‘implement the peace accord’, in response most of the students chanted in favour of implementing the treaty. However, the students belonging to UPDF catcalled the slogan. As the procession that started from gymnasium premises reached Shilpakala Academy, around 200 youths joined it whom the coordinators of the organiser platform said did not know."
Although the procession was supposed to end at Gymnasium premises via the DC office, those unknown youths of UPDF forced it towards Banarupa. As the procession reached Happy intersection, those youths chased Bangali youths present there. Besides, as soon as the procession reached Banarupa petrol pump brickbats were hurled from the rooftop of a shop. The unknown youths from the procession retaliated by hurling brick chunks and aggravated the situation, mentioned the report.
Replying to allegations brought against them in the JSS report, UPDF’s spokesperson Aungya Marma told Prothom Alo today, “This allegation is motivated and concocted. It’s true that those who joined the procession went from the area controlled by us. We cooperated with them in their disciplined movement. But JSS is concocting a story to divert the whole story.”
The JSS report also adds that a total of 21 incidents of communal violence took place under the aegis of a certain quarter in the CHT since the peace treaty was signed in 1997. There is no alternative to implement the peace treaty for the sake of a political and peaceful solution of the problem in CHT.
Alongside judicial inquiry, the JSS sought reparation to victim families and exemplary punishment of those involved with recent communal attacks.