Attacks on tribals in B'desh: PM Modi urged not to hold talks with Muhammad Yunus at UNGA session

Indian Chakma leaders on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to hold any dialogue or meeting with the Chief Adviser of the interim Bangladesh government, Muhammad Yunus, at the ongoing session of the UN General Assembly.

The Chakma leaders, in a memorandum submitted to PM Modi, also sought downgrading diplomatic relations with Bangladesh until the lives and properties of the hill tribes and religious minorities are protected.

According to reports, there have been attacks on the indigenous peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) by the Bangladesh Army and illegal settlers since September 19.

The Chakma leaders in their memorandum claimed that since Thursday, in "organised attacks" by the Bangladesh Army and the illegal settlers, at least nine innocent tribals were shot dead while dozens injured at Khagrachari. Besides, over 100 houses and shops have been burnt at Dighinala Sadar.

"The innocent tribals shot dead by the Bangladesh Army personnel were Junan Chakma, Dhan Ranjan Chakma, Rubel Tripura and Lenin Chakma while five unidentified dead bodies of the hill tribes were lying at Khagrachari hospital," the memorandum noted.

The memorandum highlighted that on September 12, 'Prothom Alo', a leading Bangladeshi newspaper, had reported about the attacks and damages to at least 1,090 houses, business establishments and places of worship belonging to the minority communities between August 5 and August 20 after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government.

It mentioned that the attacks were being carried out in order to "counter the growing use of the democratic space by the hill people and drive out the hill tribes out of the mountainous CHTs".

The memorandum said that on September 18, the indigenous hill tribe students under the banner of the "Sanghat O Boishamyo Birodhi Pahari Chhatra Andolan" (Anti Conflict and Discrimination Tribal Students Movement) organised a massive "March For Identity" at Khagrachari demanding recognition of their rights and guarantee for distinct identities.

About 40,000 tribals had participated in the march.

The Bangladesh Army personnel are seeking to drive out the hill tribes, the memorandum claimed.

The memorandum was signed by Suhas Chakma, founder, Chakma Development Foundation of India; Rashik Mohan Chakma, MLA and Chief Executive Officer of the Chakma Autonomous District Council of Mizoram; Nirupam Chakma, ex-Minister of Mizoram and Member, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes; Bimal Chakma, Member of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council; Gautam Chakma, President, Humanity Protection Forum and Head of the Department of Political Science, Tripura University; Pritimoy Chakma, Convener of Chakma Hajong Rights Alliance, and Ashutosh Chakma, President of the All Assam Chakma Society.

The Chakma leaders said that the CHT in southeast Bangladesh was a tribal-dominated area and, despite having 98.5 per cent non-Muslim population, the Bengal Boundary Commission awarded the region to Pakistan during the partition of India in 1947.

"From 1979 to 1983, then Bangladesh President General Ziaur Rahman had implanted about 5,00,000 illegal plain (non hill) settlers belonging to Muslim faith to reduce indigenous peoples of the CHTs into a minority on their own land. The illegal plain settlers presently constitute more than 50 per cent of the total population in the CHTs," they submitted.

The Buddhist Chakmas mainly live in the CHT of Bangladesh, Chin and Arakan provinces of Myanmar and in several states of India's northeastern region.