An Account of Communal Attack in Mahalchari upon the Jumma People by the Bengali Settlers with the full backing of the Army Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) 2 A report on the atrocious attack by the Bengali settlers with the full backing of the local Army personnel on the Indigenous Jumma villages of Mahalchari Upazila under Khagrachari district in the CHT Region On 26 August 2003, Bengali settlers (Thousands of Bengali Muslim brought in Chittagong Hill Tracts from the plains by successive Governments mainly to counter the indigenous Jumma people’s struggle for self-rule) launched a horrendous communal attack on the indigenous Jumma people of Mahalchari Upazila under Khagrachari Hill District of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Region. As a result, more than 350 indigenous Jumma households of 14 villages under five Moujas have been looted and burnt to ashes. Moreover, more than 100 Jumma houses including four Buddhist temples, one UNICEF run primary school, a good number of shops and statues of Lord Buddha have been destroyed, ransacked and looted. Valuables worth over Taka 30 millions have been destroyed. Two Jumma people including one eight-month-old child have been murdered. Ten Jumma women have been raped by the Bengali settlers. Furthermore, in this incident more than fifty innocents Jumma people have been injured, of them nine are serious. Six Bengali settlers also sustained injuries in the incident. According to the report of victims and local Jumma people- on 24 August 2003, the armed UPDF (United Peoples Democratic Front) terrorist kidnapped a Bengali businessman named Rupan Mohajan (30) s/o Bijoy Mohajan of Mahalchari Bazar area and demanded a ransom of Taka 500,000 (five hundred thousand). On 25 August a group of Bengali settlers led by Ratan member and Usuf member of Mahalchari Union Council, made a contact and held a negotiation meeting with the UPDF to release Rupan Mohajan. As the negotiation failed to release Rupan Mohajan, the Bengali settlers whipped up communal tension and in the afternoon the Bengali settlers barricaded the Mahalchari- Khagrachari road protesting the kidnapping. The Bengali settlers under the banner of Bangalee Samanway Parishad held a gathering at Mahalchari bazar where provocative, communal and incendiary speech was delivered by the Bengali settlers to attack the Jumma villages. In that gathering, they also made a threatening declaration that the administration, the military, the local police station and all are on their side, so they had nothing to be scared. They also declared that if Rupan Mohajan was not released the next day at 7:00 a.m. they should stage a programme of bonfire against the Jumma people. Meanwhile, Mr. Sui Nue Prue Chowdhury (Marma), the Chairman of Sindukchari Union Parishad (UP) who came to Mahalchari Bazar on his motor bike to inquire about the kidnapping and road blockade, had been confined for the whole night within the shop of one Swapan Dokandar and severely tortured by a group of frenzied Bengali settlers. The Bengali settlers also broke his motor bike. He was freed the next morning. On the contrary, provocative, communal and incendiary speeches by the Bengali settlers at their gathering made the Indigenous Jumma people of Mahalchari proper areas including Babu Para very panicky. In the evening, a Bengali settler advised some Jumma acquaintances to be on their alert for possible attacks by the Bengali settlers. At that time, a passing Army petrol party too gave out a threatening message to them. The villagers passed that night amid anxiety. Modus Operandi of the Atrocity The Bengali settlers again began their same provocative, communal and incendiary speech against the Indigenous Jumma people since the morning of the next day 26 August 2003. The clock struck 8:00 a.m. The Jumma people hardly anticipated that hell would break loose upon them in the form of such a violent communal riot. They had a misconception that after all the administration and law enforcing agencies were there to hold the wild and violent Bengali settlers in check in the long run. It was a market day at Mahalchari bazar. The Indigenous Jumma people from different villages came to the bazar were prevented by the Bengali settlers from entering the bazar. That was why they had to sit down on a nearby road of Babu Para for selling their vegetable and goods. They, again, were forbidden to sell their goods by the Bengali settlers and there was an exchange of hot words between them. Thereafter, the Bengali settlers chanted provocative slogans and brought out a violent and 3 confrontational demonstration at around 9:00 a.m. The Bengali settlers began to beat up the Jumma sellers severely and they went on a rampage through the shops of the Jumma people indiscriminately. Then the Bengali settlers in a form of violent demonstrating mob launched an attack on Babu Para, a predominantly Indigenous Jumma locality. At this time, some UPDF gunmen holed up in front of Babu Para opened fire on the attackers and four Bengali settlers sustained injuries. Thereupon the demonstrators shouted for other Bengali settlers to join them in the brutal attack against the Indigenous Jumma people and with an ill motive spread a rumour that the Indigenous Jumma people were setting fire to Bengali settlers’ houses and killing the Bengali settlers. This rumour made the Bengali settlers more and more violent and they came running in droves along with Army personnel to join the brutal attack. At that time, Mr. Binode Bihari Khisha was sitting at his shop close to the sluice gate area of Mahalchari from where he was dragged out in the open. The Army personnel struck him with the butt of their gun and the Bengali settlers hit him with lethal stick. Practically he was beaten to death on the spot. Simultaneously, hundreds of Bengali settler under the protection of Army personnel equipped with daos (big knife), swords, spears and sticks pounced upon the Jumma villages, took away valuables and finally set fire to Jumma houses. They also snatched away jewelleries from the person of Jumma women. First the Bengali settlers attacked Babu Para and Sawmill Para. Then, one after another, the Bengali settlers with direct participation of military carried out their attack on at least 12 Jumma villages under five Mouzas. In this incident, more than 350 houses were burnt down and valuables belonging to more than 100 houses were looted and destroyed. It is worth mentioning that the role of the Army, Police and Civil Administration while this kind of atrocity such as arson, rape, killing and wanton destruction was going on was highly condemnable. The Army personnel belonging to 21 EBR invariably threatened every Jumma to shoot whoever tried to resist the Bengali settlers’ attack. The Army personnel supplied petrol and kerosene to the Bengali settlers to facilitate the arson. In certain cases, the Army personnel themselves firstly kicked, boxed and tortured the Indigenous Jumma people then they handed over them to the Bengali settlers for their final physical abuse. A group of Army personnel of 21 EBR of Mahalchari army zone together with the Bengali settlers of Mahalchari bazar, Sylhet Para, T&T and Hospital area attacked the villages namely Pahartali, Bhuatek, Durpajjyanal, Kerenganal, Hemanta Para, Thali Para, Rameshu Karbari Para and Chongrachari Mukh. In all other villages the attack, arson, rape and looting took place under the very nose of the Army personnel. It was learnt that one Bengali named Tapas Chowdhury, owner of a Petrol Pump (Gas station) supplied petrol and kerosene in a lavish style to the Bengali settlers for setting fire to the Jumma houses. In the afternoon of the day of occurrence, Mr. Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan, Member of Parliament and an avowed Bengali settlers’ leader, Mr. Humayan Kabir Khan, Deputy Commissioner of Khagrachari district and Mr. Motiur Rahman Sheikh, Superintendent of Police of Khagrachari district went to the spot for inspection. It is very surprising that there was no attack by the Bengali settlers on the villages of Lemu Chari and Noa Para area till their arrival at Mahalchari Upazila Headquarter and moreover during their very presence at Mahalchari Upazila Headquarter hundreds of Bengali settlers of Chongrachari Mukh and Pakujyachari area were continuing their attack on two other villages, such as Lemuchari and Nua Para. A lot of victims confided that Mr. Abdul Wadood Bhuiyan, on his way to Mahalchari held a discussion with the Bengali settlers at Maischari bazar during which he secretly instructed them to launch the attack on the said villages. The victims also confided that the Bengali settlers with the participation of Army personnel attacked the villages namely Kerengyanal, Durpujyanal etc. On that day the Bengali settlers along with Army personnel went to the said villages by engine boats and carried out series of attacks. Right after the Army reached the village, they opened covering gunfire to scare the villagers away and then the Bengali settlers started looting all the valuables and burned the houses. “Firstly, the Army personnel opened covering gunfire and thereafter the Bengali settlers launched attack, this is the Modus Operandi”. Ms. Sonali Chakma one of the victims told. Dr. Pratul Chandra Khisha, a homeopath physician of the village Babu Para told that they had taken shelter at Kengelchari Buddhist temple where the military surrounded them as terrorists and at first the Army 4 personnel tracked down the Jumma people and then the Bengali settlers attacked them with sharp daos, swords, spears and sticks. Minati Khisha w/o Nilachan Khisha of Kerengyanal village stated that the women of her village while fleeing by a boat were surrounded and beaten by the Army personnel. Moreover, Kabita Chakma, Sabita Chakma, Pintu Chakma Koel Chakma and some other village folks were forcibly thrown into the lake by them.