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Houses of the ethnic people go up in flames as Bangalee settlers allegedly carried out an arson attack on Mahajonpara village in Khagrachhari yesterday.Photo: STARThe authorities imposed a 10-hour curfew in Khagrachhari town and its surrounding areas from 9:00pm yesterday in the wake of fresh violence between Bangalee settlers and indigenous people in the area that left a Banglaee settler dead.
Around 50 people were injured and 66 houses reduced to ashes during the clashes yesterday that forced the authorities to roll out the army in the afternoon.
Muhammad Abdullah, deputy commissioner of Khagrachhari district, told The Daily Star that he imposed the curfew to avoid any untoward incident during the night.
The dead was identified as Anwar Hossain, 22, a class-IV employee of Khagrachhari municipality office. Shahidur Khan, officer-in-charge of Khagrachhari Police Station, said Anwar was shot in the head.
Bangalee settlers set fire to at least 37 houses of indigenous people--20 in Mahajanpara, 10 in Narankhiya, four in Habongpuriya and three in Narikelbagan.
Indigenous people also torched at least 29 houses of Bangalee settlers--10 in Mohammadpur, seven in Shaalbagan, five in College Gate, five in Senakalyan and two in Masterpara.
The body of Anwar, son of Rawshan Ali, was recovered at Shalbagan shortly after the houses were torched there.
Twenty vehicles were also vandalised during the clashes in the district headquarters. A number of journalists, including Talat Mamun, reporter of private television ntv, were among the injured.
Bangalee settlers allegedly broke the cameras of Channel i and Desh TV when camera crew Dilip Chowdhury and Mongsapru Marma were filming the clashes.
Witnesses said the clash broke out around 11:30am after a group of settlers belonging to Parbatya Bangalee Chhatra Parishad chased a procession of the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), a platform of the indigenous people.
UPDF leader Ujjal Smriti Chakma alleged that Bangalee students chanted provocative slogans as their procession reached Bhanga Bridge area.
UPDF brought out the procession as part of its daylong protests against the violence in Baghaichhari upazila in Rangamati district that left two people dead and many others injured.
Earlier, the indigenous people had also barricaded roads and waterways in Khagrachhari and Rangamati districts to press home their six-point demand. The indigenous demonstrators started gathering at more than 15 points in the town. They torched a truck in front of the Collegiate High School around 7:30am.
As the feuding groups started torching houses in the afternoon, the authorities imposed Section-144 in the town to stave off the spread of violence, reports our Khagrachhari correspondent.
The volatile situation started to calm down around 4:00pm after joint forces of the army, armed police battalion and the police began patrolling the town roads.
The joint forces with megaphones asked residents to remain indoors and that if anyone was found outside, they would be arrested.
Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital sources said seven people hurt in the clashes were admitted to the hospital while 12 received first aid.
State Minister for Home Shamsul Hoque Tuku and Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder will visit the violence-prone areas of CHT today and hold meetings with the army, the indigenous people and the settlers.
"We cannot let the situation continue. We will ask all parties to show restraint and bring an end to the clashes," the home secretary told The Daily Star last night.
Meanwhile, the government yesterday allocated 100 tonnes of rice, Tk 5 lakh in cash and 500 corrugated iron sheets for the indigenous people affected by the recent violence and torching of houses at Bagaihat-Gangarammukh of Baghaichhari in Rangamati.
The Ministry of Food and Disaster Management allocated the aid under Gratuitous Relief in favour of Rangamati Deputy Commissioner for distribution among the affected people, says a food ministry press release.
Our Rangamati correspondent adds: Members of the civil society in Rangamati formed a human chain demanding a fair investigation into Baghaichhari violence.
Around 1,000 people took part in the human chain in front of the Rangamati deputy commissioner's office around 10:00am.
They also demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the people responsible for the incident, withdrawal of army camps and removal of Bangalee settlers from the areas.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010 12:59 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
Shame on those who demand pull out of army. If there were no army,the tribals would kill more and more Bangalis.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 01:40 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
Inhumane
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 01:46 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
In the next few days the govet will find BNP - Jamaat hands in this tragedy as well... just wait and see!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 01:53 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
ARMY should be resume there.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 02:23 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
It's regrettable that administration failed to anticipate such incidents in advance. What happened during last two days here is pure barbarism, this kind of things should not have happened at all. I feel ashamed as a Bengalee.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 02:52 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
The pictures speaks again and loudly. This is what happend during war of liberation in March 1971 in Bangladesh all over; how the ethnic minority is feeling in the similar situation in the Hill districts, a big question ??
There is reason to believe that the government has failed to anticipate the fall out of the incident of Feb 21st. Preventive measures were not only inadequate but passive and did not follow the standard rules of peace keeping measures. .The home minister looks casual as usual..
The question now: Is the prime minister is fully aware what is happening in the Hill districts/ Her meeting with envoys can perhaps be pend temporarily allowing her to pay full attention to internal problems adding up one after another . The crisis management cabinet group and the parliament be activated more to face political challenge forth coming in March .
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 03:05 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
By failing to protect the rights of its own minority citizens, Bangladesh has lost its right to complain about the human rights abuses of Bangladeshi workers in foreign countries, esp. in the Middle East
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 04:15 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
First of All, If Bangladesh Army were there as past years, may be we don't need to face this unrest situation today. As Bangladesh is a small country, it's quite sad to see the division of nation. We need proper steps, unity, proper leader, innovation & technologies, etc to be developed.
But, unfortunately we are still fighting for nothing, Innocent people are sacrificing their lives, we are giving fire to the private & public properties, etc.
How many more years we still need to be civilized ?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 04:35 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
After declaring 144 Bengali settlers with help of law enforcement agency burned several indigenous peoples residents and shops. situations becoming very tense now I urge government and international community please increase your effort to normalize the situation in CHT
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 06:20 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
Serve these settlers right. I can't imagine how in today's day and age we can still abuse indigenous people and take away their rights. As a Bengali person, this brings me so much shame.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 07:06 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
Its going out of limit.Govt. should take severe steps as fast as possible.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 07:39 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
Our government should be held accountable for this sort of problems in our country, till date we havn't seen any sort of positive action taken by them, how many people must die before we the citizens of this country see them taking this seriously
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 07:39 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
I see same picture in Prothom-alo also. I subscribe both papers, but when I see similar pictures, news item, sometime I think to buy only one paper.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 08:04 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
Thanks for The daily star for carrying the interminable unrest in CHT. It will help nudge government to knuckle down to action to resolve the full-blown crisis.
It is not difficult to comprehend that why the violence in CHT continues unabated. There are certainly some vested interest groups fueling the flare-up of settlers-indigenous conflict. To better-solve the deep-rooted problem government is expected to treat the cause not the symptoms.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 08:16 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
How can someone who is a govt. employee and lives in the town can be termed as a so-called settler. Resettlement and relocations are continuous natural process. Otherwise how could 120,000 Bangladeshi could settle in Canada? We can designate some exclusive zone for indigenous people but prohibiting whole of the CHT for other citizens does not make any sense. It is like creating a country within the country. It appears that the incidents have been perpetrated to pursue two goals - withdrawal of army and removal of Bangalees.
Its true that our govt. did very little to protect tribal peoples' right; e.g. Monipuri tribe has a very rich cultural & literary heritage. Nothing has been done to protect them. The same is true for all the small tribe. Whatever we do in the name of indigenous people, we do it for Chakmas; and, Chakmas are the most advaned most educated, most privileged tribe in the country.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 09:18 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
This is an unfortunate incident for Bangladesh. Even after signing peace treaty agreement. It was not our expectation. The Bangladesh government
Should immediately start dialouge with CHT people
Make enquiry into the incident independently and punish exemplary punishment
To anyone responsible. But both communities should come out to forgive each other and pay compensation to the families affected.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 09:46 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
This is really painfull. We hope in future it will not repet. We always maintain our brother hood relation.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 10:42 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
STOP this VIOLENCE NOW.... these are our own people.....we have to live together... the Bengali settlers need to get out of Pahari lands..... the Bengalis need to understand that what they are doing is WRONG.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 11:13 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
@MAH, You should read the CHT history, should try to understand, please not to look at in fundamentalist eyes. One question, you are living iun Canada, great, but I want to know, are you there living as a tribal, I mean dose Canada Govt call you tribal? If settle down in Canada, on what process? At least you have to follow sme legal issues, right? Is it followed in CHT? Anyway, before calling CHT Jumma indigenous peoples as tribal you should ask questions yourself, how civilied you are and yourself. Sorry if it is too rude.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 11:07 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
@Shajid, don't look at in one eyes. Without knowing the deep history of CHT, you should not make this kind of comment. You can cry and die for Philistine peoples as have been suffering by Israil, are you not doing same act like as Israil against CHT Jumma indigenous peopels?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 12:08 PM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
I think the main reason of such great fighting is due to the absence of ARMY. If ARMY were present there then such an incident would not occur.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 11:09 AM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
Army should be taken out from Hill Tracts. Indigenous people of Chittagong Hill Tracts are not animal like that they should be kept confined by army.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 06:11 PM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
We don't want to see this scenery again and again in CHT. Please stop this soon.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 04:03 PM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
On behalf of South Asian students association of Thailand, we condemn and criticize the barbaric act of Bangla govt, the armies and the bengalee might be thinking that they have arms in theirs hands through which they will control the peoples but in practically they can’t control the human mind, as human mind can only be controlled through the means of love and compassion, the ways people are getting pain within their hearts is unforgettable, so this is for sure in next 1-2 decades there will be much more bitter clashes than this, because our future is depend on what we are doing now.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 03:05 PM GMT+06:00 (28 weeks ago)
Before pointing out fingers to either Paharis or Bangalees one should learnt the history and development of CHT as well as 'Bangalee settlers'. A conscious soul can not say that Army's presence is necessary only for the security of pahari-bangalee. That is simply a lame excuse.