Clash in CHT after hill students’ demo

The violence and deaths that rocked hill district Khagrachhari last week took place after hill students held demonstrations to press home their demands. Many locals think the violence did not emanate from the killing of a Bangali youth named Mamun over theft of a motorcycle.

Hill students had launched a movement to press home their 8-point demand after political changeover on 5 August. Many think that any third party might be behind creating unrest to suppress the movement.

Mamun was killed in a mob lynching in Khagrachhari town on 18 September. The following day, Bangalis brought out a rally in Dighinala upazila, 20-kilometer away from the district town, protesting the death of Mamun that led to a clash between Bangalis and ethnic minorities. A person named Dhananjay Chakma got killed, and business establishments of the ethnic minorities were torched. On that night, two persons named Rubel Tripura and Junan Chakma were shot dead at Swanirbar area in the town. The violence spilled over the adjacent district, Rangamati, on 20 September, where a college student named Anik Chakma was beaten dead.

Three advisers of the interim government visited Khagrachhari to Rangamati districts after the violence. Local government adviser AF Hassan Ariff commented that a conspiracy is being hatched from outside to destroy the harmony in the hills. Home affairs adviser lieutenant general (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that a high-level investigation committee will be formed to investigate the incident.

Chattogram’s divisional commissioner Md Tofail Islam said a seven-member committee headed by additional divisional commissioner (development) Nurullah Nuri was formed on Thursday to probe the incident of violence. The committee has been asked to submit the report within two weeks.  

Parbotto Chattogram Nagorik Parishad’s joint secretary Abdul Majid told Prothom Alo that a machination has been going on to destablise the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) by creating an issue.

On 16 September, a ‘March for Identity’ rally was held at Khagrachhari Government College by ‘Hill student movement against violence and discrimination’. Students from different upazilas and unions joined the rally that was attended by around 10 thousand students. Locals said such a massive gathering was not witnessed in the hill districts in the last two decades. The violence took place within two days of that big demonstration.

One of the students involved with the demonstration on condition of anonymity told Prothom Alo that the clash was premeditated to suppress the just demands of the hill people.

Khagrachhari government college’s former principal Bodhiswatto Dewan told Prothom Alo that such incidents would not have recurred if there were fair enforcement of law.