100 families face eviction threat

Around 100 families of five villages in Bandarban's Lama upazila are now living in fear of eviction from their ancestral homes as land grabbers in the name of setting up rubber plantation there have been threatening them with consequences.

Residents of the five villages -- Ruposhi Puraton Marma para, Ching Kung Mro para, Konau Mro para, Noa Marma para, and Ching Khung Marma para -- alleged that the local administration was helping the land grabbers to occupy their land.

Around six months ago, the influential land grabbers compelled four indigenous families of around 25 members at Konau Mro para in Longkyong mouza to leave their homes.

The victims took shelter in remote Sangu reserve forest and Alikadam upazila of the district, their relatives said.

They claimed that the land grabbers in collusion with village headmen and union parishad chairman of Ruposhi para union forced them to leave their homes in January.

Gazi Rubber Plantation, a business concern of Gazi group, was behind everything, the villagers alleged.

A few members of other indigenous families, who are living in fear of eviction. The photos were taken recently. Photo: Star

They claimed that hired thugs had destroyed their jhum cropland and vandalised jhum farm houses when they refused to bow to the threats and pressure from the land grabbers.

The indigenous people mostly depend on jhum cultivation and forest resources for their livelihood.

The villagers submitted a written complaint against the land grabbers to the upazila administration on May 12. But the local administration did not take any action in this regard.

On May 29, a scuffle between the locals and the workers of Gazi Rubber Plantation broke out when the indigenous people protested the land grabbing.

Following the incident, the company filed a case with Lama Police Station, and Koy Hla Ching Marma, a karbari (chief of a neighbourhood) of Ruposhi Puraton para, was arrested on May 30.

Visiting the places recently, it was seen that around 350 acres of jhum land have been grabbed by Gazi Rubber Plantation.

“They [Gazi] snatched our ancestral jhum land. We want our land back. We want justice,” Padui Mro, a karbari of Konau para told this correspondent.

U Sha Prue Marma, wife of arrested Koy Hla Ching Marma, said, “Land grabbers filed a case against those who protested the grabbing. They 'managed' police who arrested my husband.”

Refuting all allegations, Asim Kumar Chando, consultant of Gazi Rubber Plantation, said they did not evict anyone from their ancestral land.

The official said they “bought” some 625 acres of land in Longkyong, Dordori and Sorai mouza from the indigenous families. He also claimed to have obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) signed by them.

However, Chong Pung Murong and Cha Hla Koin Marma, headmen of Long Kyong and Dordori mauza, claimed that the organisation committed forgery during the signing of the papers.

Asim denied the allegation too.

Contacted, Bandarban Superintendent of Police Devdas Bhattacharya, who has recently been transferred to Chittagong Metropolitan Police as an assistant commissioner, said they had sent some of their officers to the scene on June 5 to look into the matter.

He said more indigenous families of the area might get evicted if the influential rubber plantation owners did not stop grabbing land there.

Gazi Rubber Plantation has illegally purchased around 700 acres of land in Lama upazila “managing” the upazila administration, headmen and local union parishad chairman said. They grabbed more than 2,000 acres of land of the indigenous people in the upazila, locals claimed.

They said they approached Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Abu Jafar several times in this connection, but to no avail.

Contacted, the DC said, “We have received an application from the victims affected by Gazi Rubber Plantation. The UNO concerned has already been told to look into the matter.”

Asked about the alleged paper-forgery, he said, “Action will be taken if anyone is found guilty.”

Since the 1997 signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, thousands of acres of indigenous land mainly in Lama, Naikkhangchhari, and Alikadam upazilas of the district have been grabbed by influential private rubber plantation owners and horticulturists with the alleged involvement of district administration, headmen, karbari and local leaders said Jumlian Amlai, president of Parbatya Chattagram Forest and Land Rights Protection Movement (Bandarban Chapter).

“Gazi Rubber Plantation has violated the Hill District Council Act of 1989 and CHT Manual of 1900 as they have illegally purchased mouza lands, 'managing' upazila administration, headmen and union parishad chairmen,” said KS Mong Marma, a member of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council.