3 days on, fear still runs deep among hill people

Despite living in dire straits, in deep hilly jungles, majority of the indigenous people who lost everything in Friday's arson attacks were yet to come out yesterday.

The fear of further attack was keeping them from going back to their villages -- Tintila, Manikjhorchhora and Baittapara -- where Bangalee settlers wreaked mayhem, looting, torching and vandalising indigenous community houses. 

During a visit yesterday, these correspondents found the affected neighbourhoods wearing a deserted look with many houses and shops razed to the ground. 

Around 30 people, mostly men and youths, were seen in a school across a small canal from Tintila village.

“We, youths and men, are keeping surveillance to save the handful of houses that were not destroyed,” said Onagoto Chakma, a resident of Manikjhorchhora village. 

Kiran Chakma, 38, a contractor, said, “I have been living without food for two days. My 250 maunds of rice stored at my house are still burning. My newly bought motorbike was torched. And all my furniture was looted.”

He had sent his six family members to a jungle in Kalo Pahar area. “They are living under the open sky in the jungle in incessant rains with no food. My mother is sick and we have nothing for her treatment,” he said.

Kiran was seen rummaging through the wreckage of his burnt house in Manikjhorchhora with tears in his eyes. He found nothing that could be sent to feed his family members.

Mitali Chakma, 40, too, came all the way from the jungle to see whether she could manage some food for her two teenage daughters and a minor son.

“I have caught cold as I have been living under the open sky in rains for the last two days,” he said.

At Manikjhorchhora Government Primary School, these correspondents talked to around 20 victims. They said they had lost everything but would not take any government relief.

“Each of the houses that were destroyed is worth Tk 10 to 15 lakh. We want the administration to rebuild our houses. We want our houses to be just like they used to be before the attacks. The meagre 30 kg of rice and cash money would be of no use,” said Buddhajoy Chakma of Baittapara village.

Following the death of a local Jubo League man, several hundred people from different Bangalee-dominated unions brought out a procession carrying the body and attacked indigenous community houses in the three villages, in Longadu upazila of Rangamati, on Friday morning. 

Police on Thursday recovered the body beside the Khagrachhari-Dighinala road at Charmile in Khagrachhari district.

The district administration has put the official number of victim families at 212.

Additional Deputy Magistrate Moazzem Hossain said they completed the list of victims and would send a proposal to the government for their rehabilitation. “We have brought 30 tonnes of rice, and Tk 1,000 for every family,” he told The Daily Star.

When told that the victims are rejecting the government relief, he said, “We have brought the rice and cash to win trust of the victims.”

Mangal Chakma, chairman of Atharakchhora Union Parishad, was reluctant to keep the relief items. He said no victim came to the Tintila Ban Bihar, a Buddhist monastery, to take those.

“No family came to take relief. The victims are still in the hills and jungles. They are agitated. And they are very angry with me as I [on Friday] had requested them not to leave homes and assured them that nothing would happen,” he added. 

Meanwhile, five Bangalee youths were arrested yesterday in connection with Friday's attacks. None of them is listed in the first information report.

Police are yet to detain Saiful, Jewel and Qayum, who allegedly led the procession from where the attack was carried out. However, those arrested yesterday include Halim and Shah Alam, brothers of Saiful and Qayum.

Sub-Inspector Dulal Hossain of Longadu Police Station filed a case on Saturday against 15 named and 300/400 unnamed persons.

Seven of the named accused were already arrested on Friday.

An Adivasi man is walking towards a hilltop with whatever he has left after the arson attack. Photo: Prabir Das

Mohammed Shafiul Sarwar, additional superintendent of police in Rangamati, visited the Tintila village yesterday.

Asked if police had any failure in ensuring security of the indigenous people, he said, “There were seven to eight thousand people and only 40 police personnel. So it was almost impossible to keep the situation under control. Still, necessary action would be taken if law enforcers are found at fault.”

Meanwhile, United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) called a half-day hartal in Rangamati district for today protesting the Longadu attack.

Also yesterday, law enforcers foiled a procession of Pahari Chhatra Parisad (PCP) in College Gate area of Dighinala upazila, Khagrachhari.

The student organisation brought out the procession protesting Friday's arson in Longadu.

Two leaders of PCP were detained from the spot, witnesses said.