Where's end of killing in CHT?
Just after 24 hours of the killing of seven people in Baghaichhari of Rangamati on Monday, ruling Awami League’s president of the upazila Suresh Kanti Tanchangya was killed. No matter whether the two incidents are connected or not, those are much worrying.
Where is the end?
Seven people, including a poll official, were shot dead in Noymile area of Baghaichhari while they were returning to the upazila headquarters with results and election materials in four vehicles after counting votes at a polling centre in the second phase upazila parishad elections.
The victis included a polling officer and two female Ansar members. On the other hand, armed miscreants shot Suresh Kanti who was on his way to Bilaichhari by a trawler from Orachhari of Farua along with several others along the Raingkhyang river.
Though the murder was related to the elections, it can be assumed that clan-based longstanding clash also played a role in it.
Despite apprehensions about polls across the country, most of the blood-spilling incidents took place in Chattogram Hill Tracts. Murder of eight people in two days proves a shabby condition of security system for the people in the region.
The government and the Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) signed an agreement in 1997, known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Treaty, to end insurgency. Sadly, peace remains elusive even after two decades. And this is why there is presence of additional security and law enforcement personnel with their activities.
In the past two decades, political polarisation took place more than once in the Chattogram Hill Tracts. The pro-peace accord JSS and the anti-accord UPDF (United People's Demoractic Front) are divided now. In the Baghaichhari upazila polls, the JSS and the UPDF were allies while JSS Larma faction, UPDF (Democratic faction) and the Awami League were their rivals. When the Larma faction won the polls taking blessings from the AL, the rivals alleged vote rigging.
However, the election dispute does not seem to be the only reason for clashes in the region.
The JSS was formed in 1972 to establish rights of the people in the hills. The UPDF was constituted as a new organisation after the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord in 1997. Later, Jana Samhati Samiti (MN Larma) was constituted as a result of split in the mainstream JSS in 2010.
The incidents of killing did not occur in 2015, thanks to peace talks between the regional parties. Another new organisation was constituted after splitting of the UPDF in November of 2017. The new organisation was named the UPDF Democratic led by former UPDF leader Tapan Jyoty.
The hill turned violent again. Regional parties in Rangamati and Khagrachhari districts locked into clashes at different times since 5 December 2017. At least 15 people were killed in clashes in May 2018.
The local administration made assurance of tight security measures during the elections. But there was no security in reality.
Also after the violence, the administration failed to take any effective measure. As a result, the incident of killing is taking place one after another. Following the deaths of eight people over the polls violence, it now depends on the administration and the law enforcement to maintain peace and order and contain fresh violence in the hills. It has been essential to arrest the killers and to take preventive measures. The bloodshed in the hills has to be stopped at any cost.