Armed forces turn corporate body
The armed forces in the country are “emerging as a corporate body”, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman said yesterday.
"And who will guarantee that, in some cases, land is not being acquired to serve the business interests of this corporate organisation?" he said.
He was addressing a public hearing on the Human Rights Situation of Indigenous People. The Institute for Environment and Development organised the programme at the CBCB Centre in the capital's Asad Gate.
"We are proud of our armed forces. They are employed to ensure our security and safeguard our sovereignty. This is why when the government buys modern arms and ammunition for them, buys fighter planes and even when initiatives are taken to buy submarines to protect our maritime border, we welcome such initiatives,” he said.
"But when we see the armed forces that are tasked with ensuring our overall security and sovereignty are setting up banks, when we see that they are competing with the Public Works Department to engage in tender business, when we see that they are involving themselves in the activities of school, college and universities, then we fear if we will have to establish private armed forces to ensure our security in the near future."
He noted that every institution should limit itself within the scope of its work.
On violating the rights of indigenous people, Prof Mizanur said the ruling class's greed for land was the main reason behind most atrocities on the indigenous communities.
Advocate Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad, urged the government to immediately amend the land commission act to settle land disputes.
Claiming that the indigenous and non-Muslim population is being driven out from the country, he warned the state would collapse if such oppression continued.
He also called on the government to fully implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord.
Seven indigenous people, including a woman, from different parts of the country spoke of the torture they endured at the hands of Bangalee people.
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