United People鈥檚 Democratic Front on Wednesday denounced a statement of the Inter Services Public Relations for branding eight ethnic Tripura youths as members of ethnic armed group Kuki-Chin National Front following their arrests on Tuesday by joint forces in Rangamati.
The ISPR on Tuesday stated that joint forces arrested nine suspected members of the ethnic armed group KNF during their ongoing joint operation in Bandarban following the recent incidents of bank robberies, arms snatching, and abduction.
The ISPR directorate in their statement they also seized nine firearms and ammunition.
Police officials from both Bandarban and Rangamati said at about 8:45pm on Wednesday none of them were produced in respective court.
鈥業t may take time as the area was extremely remote,鈥� said Rangamati police superintendent Mir Abu Touhid.
聽The UPDF, meanwhile, in their statement denounced the ISPR for making 鈥榝alse鈥�, 鈥榝abricated鈥�, and 鈥榗onspiratorial鈥� statement over the arrest of the villagers.
It said that local people have confirmed that those arrested were jhum farmers with no ties to the KNF and there is no information indicating involvement of Tripura ethnic group with the KNF.
In the statement, Notun Kumar Chakma, the vice president of UPDF, claimed that security forces arrested eight Tripura, including a headman, from Dhupanichara, Hatichara, and Shepruchara areas within the union around 1:00pm.
Following their arrest, they were transported to a camp where they were photographed with locally made guns and falsely labeled as members of the ethnic armed group KNF, he stated.
The arrestees are Jatirai Tripura, 41, headman of Dhupanichara, Patrick Tripura, 27, of Dhupanichara, Krishnachandra Tripura, 40, of Hatichara, Jacob Tripura, 39, of Hatichara, Gunijan Tripura, 44, of Shepruchara, Birjoy Tripura, 19, of Shepruchara, Birbahadur Tripura, 38, of Shepruchara and Simon Tripura, 25, of Shepruchara.聽聽聽聽
However, the Dhupanichhara headman Jatirai was released at around 11:00am on Wednesday, it said.聽
The statement highlighted that innocent villagers are being arrested and harassed primarily to conceal the true culprits behind the bank robberies in Ruma and Thanchi, alleging it as the state鈥檚 deep-seated conspiracy to wipe out the hill people.
The statement called for an immediate end of mass arrests, torture, and harassment of innocent villagers, demanding the unconditional release of those arrested.聽
On April 2, KNF tried to loot Tk 1.5 crore from the vault of Sonali Bank鈥檚 Ruma upazila branch. In failure, they kidnapped the branch manager, Nezam Uddin, who was rescued two days later.
They also carried out robberies at Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank branches in Thanchi upazila of Bandarban on April 3.
They looted at least 14 firearms, over 400 bullets, and Tk 17 lakh in cash during the attacks in Ruma and Thanchi.
With the arrest of nine, the security forces have so far arrested 58 people in their joint operation in connection with the incidents. The police have separately arrested 14 others.
Police officials in Bandarban district said that a total of nine cases were filed in Ruma and Thanchi upazilas following the incidents of robberies, arms looting, and abduction between April 2 and 3.
