Rights group allege Bangladesh Army was inactive while indigenous people attacked in CHT

Inter-ethnic violence in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts leaves indigenous communities devastated, sparking concerns over human rights violations.

In a setback to the inter-ethnic harmony, more than one hundred houses and shops belonging to indigenous communities were burnt down by miscreants in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in the southeastern part of Bangladesh. Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), a human rights group based here that tracks the community situation in CHT has said the attack was carried out in multiple locations and said such a large scale assault on the indigenous community has taken place for the first time since 2007.

Suhas Chakma, Director of the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) accused the Bangladesh Army of providing tacit support to the attackers whom he described as “illegal plain settlers”. “Consequently, there is no Chakma left in the Dighinala sadar area. We are still waiting for details of casualties or other violence at this stage,” Mr. Chakma said.

Breakdown in law and order has remained a feature in Bangladesh since the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina collapsed on August 5 as the country has not been able to restore the policing system in the meantime. Home Affairs Adviser Lt. Gen. Jehangir Alam Choudhury (Retd.) on Wednesday said that those policemen who failed to rejoin position will not be allowed to join work. “They were involved in misdeeds,” Mr. Choudhury said. In this challenging backdrop, the Bangladesh Army on September 17 took over magisterial power across the country which will allow the army to carry out policing functions. Mr. Chakma said the condition in CHT has remained volatile despite the army taking over magisterial power and pointed out that witnesses have reported that the army was seen to be supporting the “settlers” in carrying out the arson attack on Thursday.

Indigenous Chakma groups have been alleging that a systematic military-led process took place during 1979 to 1983 to facilitate influx of at least 5,00,000 “plains settlers” into the CHT.

Mr. Chakma said that influx had reduced the rights of the indigenous people of the region over their own land. The law and order situation in CHT had been deteriorating over the past few weeks with reports of sporadic violence coming in. In this backdrop local students under the banner of Sanghat O Boishamyo Birodhi Pahari Chhatra Andolan (Hill Students Movement against Conflict and Discrimination) took out a big rally on Wednesday. RRAG informed that at least one individual – Lenin Chakma, 35, of Kamukkochara, Tulapara were killed during Thursday’s attack and that his body was taken away by the Bangladesh army. CHT has been a restive part of Bangladesh because of the ethnic composition of the region which has complained of discrimination by Dhaka. Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was signed on December 2, 1997, between Parbatyo Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) and the Government of Bangladesh during the first tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which recognized the distinct identity of the indigenous communities of the region. The agreement however came under criticism in the subsequent years for not sufficiently addressing the concerns of the indigenous community.