The government was aware of the simmering tensions. At least it cannot deny that it was not forewarned as Baghaichari people presented a memo to the Baghaichari Union Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of their demand. ‘Our lands forcibly grabbed by settlers should be returned to us. Stop resettlement of Muslims in our area. Otherwise we will be forced to launch an indefinite agitation’, the memo threatened.
With the local officials unmoved, adopting what appears to be hands off approach, the Muslim settlers took law into their own hands and settled scores. Reports say the settlers attacked the jummas and set fire to 40 houses. That was on Feb 19. A day later, they returned to Gangaram Mukh again and this time burnt down 160 houses, a Church, and a Buddhist temple. Among the injured was an army man. It is not clear how appeared on the scene of clashes. In all some 25 persons reportedly were injured.
Turbulence is not new to Chittagong Hill Tracts. Ever since President Zia-ur-Rehman initiated the policy of encouraging Bengali Muslims to settle in the area, the locals have hit agitational path, though with no success. The Zia policy unveiled in 1979 has ended the British era security to the indigenous people of their customs, traditions and land.
The advent of a Saudi based NGO, Rabeta-al-alam-al-Islami, has brought about change in the demographic profile as well. While the NGO boasted of the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI), the government also sponsored ‘conversions’ to Islam. Churches, Buddhist temples and monasteries are making room for mosques.
During her stint as prime minister from 1996-2001), Sheikh Hasina tried to bring peace to CHT. After protracted negotiations, the government and the Parbattya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), that spearheaded insurgency entered into a peace treaty in 1997. But the successor government of Begum Khaleda Zia’s BNP led coalition virtually cold-storaged Treaty and halted the withdrawal of army camps.
The jumma people now look to Prime Minister Hasina to fulfil her promises particularly teeth to the CHT Regional Council and the setting up of a Land Commission to oversee the resettling of refugees on their homesteads.
There are as many as 500 army camps in CHT. So far 35 camps have been wound up that too after the return of Awami League government. A Task Force has since been set up to rehabilitate the jummas who have become refugees over the years.
