CHTC, IWGIA want UN-led committee to probe CHT violence

Two international platforms working to defend the rights of Indigenous people today demanded formation of a UN-led inquiry committee to investigate the root causes of the recent violence in Khagrachhari and Rangamati and the role of the military

In a joint statement, The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) and International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) also demanded an investigation into the alleged human rights violation in hill tracts.

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"The military's role during these attacks raises serious concerns. Live footage from Rangamati shows settlers armed with clubs and sticks walking behind three military pickups around noon in the Fishery Ghaat area, with no intervention by the military. This mob later proceeded to attack Jummo individuals and their properties," reads the statement.

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CHT tense as 4 killed in violence

It said the military personnel who opened fire on unarmed Jummo people should be held accountable the way the security personnel who fired on unarmed students during the recent student movement were brought to justice.

The two rights bodies said they had hoped that the indigenous peoples of CHT would experience the benefits of true independence following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's regime and their hope was reinforced by the speech of the chief adviser.

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Arson attacks In Khagrachhari: ‘We are integrationists, not separatists’

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus stated in his address to the nation on August 25, "Indigenous people are also citizens of this country and are entitled to equal protection under the law".

"However, since that speech, settler organisations in both CHT and Dhaka have organised protests against the chief adviser's use of the word 'Indigenous'. It appears that the current violence in CHT is a reaction to the interim government's positive stance on the CHT issue, with the alleged death of the Bengali settler on the 18th serving as a pretext for further unrest," read the statement.

They called on the interim government to take immediate action to ensure the safety and protection of the Indigenous peoples in CHT.

Alleging that the "Operation Uttoron" places civilian administration and law enforcement in CHT under military control, they called for the withdrawal of the executive order related to it.

They also demanded the removal of all temporary military and security force camps in CHT, except for the six military bases as outlined in the 1997 CHT Accord and to take steps to facilitate the dignified relocation of settlers from CHT.