Heinous attack on hills people

INDIGENOUS people of Naniarchar upazila of Rangamati whose houses and shops were ransacked and torched and temple looted allegedly by some Bengali settlers on Tuesday have refused to accept relief materials and cash provided by the administration. They rather demanded that before everything else, their houses and shops be rebuilt and given assurance against any further attack of this kind in the future.

The local indigenous population's sentiments and fears are not without grounds. The nature of the damage done to the dwellings and business outlets in three villages of Burighat union leaves no doubt about the intensity of the hatred the attackers bear against the victim indigenous inhabitants of the area. Reportedly, Bengali settlers carried out their attack in retaliation for what they alleged destruction of a large swathe of pineapple garden and teak saplings in the previous night by some members of the indigenous community. Denying the allegation, the indigenous people further claimed that the teak saplings were planted on the land belonging to them.

Whatever the merits of the mutually conflicting allegations, that can under no circumstances justify such vicious attack against the indigenous families. The culprits, whoever they are, have caused more damage than just burning and ransacking of some households of the indigenous people. In fact, they irreparably harmed the communal harmony between the two communities of the area --Bengalis and the hills people.

While amply compensating the economic loss sustained by the affected families, we hope, the administration will take urgent steps to identify the culprits behind the attack and bring them to exemplary justice.