Mru people attacked in Bandarban, houses torched, vandalised

Miscreants allegedly attacked the Mru people as well as torched and vandalised seven houses in Bandarban’s Lama upazila on the wee hours of Monday.

The victims including children fled their houses amid cold at midnight to escape the attack, but looters took their clothes and valuables.

Mru people alleged, "A group of miscreants of the Lama Rubber Industries Limited came to the area in a truck and attacked us and carried out the lootings."

The miscreants reportedly set fire to 350 acres of Jhum land in Rengyenpara, Langkompara and Joychandrapara on 26 April 2022, followed the arrest of several people.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ordered the district administration and the superintendent of police to take legal action against the rubber company and rehabilitate the Mru and the Tribura people.

Rengyenpara chief Rengyen Mru said more than 100 people of Lama Rubber Industries, carrying sticks, came to the area in a truck around 1:00am on Monday. They then attacked the houses, chanting ‘catch the Mru’. Hearing the noise, the Mru people fled to nearby jungle.

While leaving, the miscreants vandalised four houses, set fire to houses and looted everything including cattle, chickens, blankets and solar panel.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, neighbouring Langkompara chief Langkom Mru said several families were constructing new houses as their old bamboo-made houses broke. Besides, new houses were also being built as several extended families split. But people from Lama Rubber Industries has been verbally preventing them from constructing new houses, he added.

Miscreants torched the houses of Rengyung Mru and Chingchong Mru from Rengyenpara. They said they were building new houses as their old houses got decayed. The attackers torched their new houses and vandalised the old ones and now they took shelter at others' houses.

There are 11 Mru families in Rengyenpara and they live by Jhum cultivation, gardening and daily labour. People cultivate Jhum land on 400 acres of land in Rengyenpara, Langkompara and Joychandrapara. But the Lama Rubber Industries has been trying to evict them from their land for several years. Some 350 acres of Jhum land was set on fire on 26 April 2022.

Rengyen Mru alleged poison was allegedly poured on source of the spring in Rengyenpara on 6 September 2022.

Lama Rubber Industries managing director Arifur Rahman denied the allegation saying they know nothing about torching and looting houses in Rengyenpara. If anything happens in those areas, Mru and Tripura people blame the rubber company, he added.

Lama police station officer-in-charge (OC) Shahidul Islam Chowdhury said the Mru people informed police about torching and looting houses in Rengyenpara on Monday morning.

Whoever the culprits are will face legal action, the OC said adding, the rubber company officials were arrested over setting fire to Jhum land before.