¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

Families of the three national minority men killed during the September 19 sectarian violence in Khagrachari are unaware of the police filing two cases over the deaths, without naming the suspected perpetrators.

The cases were filed against unidentified perpetrators of the murders, ignoring reports of witnesses and independent human rights observers such as the Chittagong Human Rights Commission implicating the security forces in causing the three casualties.

‘Investigation will reveal who are the killers,’ said Mohammad Arefin Jewel, Khagrachari district superintendent of police, confirming that the cases were filed on September 22 evening.

None was arrested in the cases so far, he said.

The Inter-Service Public Relations in a statement issued on September 20 said that three casualties resulted after a gunfight broke out between the army and the main faction of Chittagong Hill Tracts-based regional political party United People’s Democratic Front after the latter opened fire on a petrol team passing through Swanirbhar carrying a sick patient at about 10:30pm on September 19.  

One of the cases was filed with Khagrachhari Sadar police station over the murders of Junan Chakma and Rubel Tripura, both aged 21 and living near the Swanirbhar Bazar area.

The other case was filed with Dighinala police station over the death of Dhananjay Chakma, 60.

‘My brother was shot dead by the army,’ said Dirghomoni Tripura, 28, the elder brother of Rubel, citing witnesses.

Rubel, a mason, had left his home near Swanirbhar  bazar for the day’s work just like other days on the morning of September 19 but did not return home, said Dirghomoni.

Dirghomoni learned about his brother’s death from a Facebook post and rushed to Khagrachari Sadar Hospital to find that a bullet had pierced his brother’s private part and come out through.

Dirghomoni later met with people who were present with Rubel when he was shot.

‘The army opened fire directly on the crowd killing my brother,’ said Dirghomoni, giving a tentative time of the incident occurring between late September 19 and early morning of September 20.

Dirghomoni had no idea that police already filed a case over his brother’s death.

Asked why he had not filed a case so far, Dirghomoni said, ‘Will police accept a case against the army? Even if a case is filed, will we ever get justice?’

Junan Chakma was shot dead around the same time near Swanirbhar bazar. Junan had gone to the bazar to protect his uncle’s shop on the day that saw widespread vandalizing of national minority properties by Bengalis.

‘I heard a barrage of fire ringing out soon after Junan left,’ said Junan’s mother Rupsa Chakma.

Rupsa had rushed to the direction the sound of the fire came from but the law enforcers prevented her from going into the place of the incident.

The families received the bodies from sadar hospital.

The family of Dhanaranjan Chakma refused to discuss the death. Dhanaranjan’s two children could not attend the funeral of their father as they were in Dhaka and Brahmanbaria.

‘I cannot say anything about my father’s death. My head is not working,’ said Sudib Chakma, Dhanaranjan’s son at home.

Witnesses alleged that the body of Dhanaranjan was thrown out of an army jeep near a bridge in Dighinala at about 9:00pm on September 19. Someone took him to sadar hospital from the spot.

The case statement filed by the police said that Dhanaranjanwas injured when miscreants attacked the Larma Square market in DIghinala and later succumbed to his injuries.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission in a statement issued on September 21 said that the military opened fire at Swanirbhar at 9:00pm on September 19 to disperse a crowd of national minorities, resulting in casualties and injuries, citing a video footage circulated on social media.

Rubel’s father also could not attend the funeral of his son and return to the house until Monday as he got stuck in the epicenter of the violence, Dighinala.

Four were killed and about 200 establishments, including shops, houses and Buddhist temples, were vandalised and burned down during the sectarian violence in Rangamati and Khagrachhari.

Authorities imposed section 144 to contain the situation between September 20 and 22. 

The three-day road and waterways blockade that paralysed life in the CHT, keeping its three districts, including Bandarban, detached from the rest of the country.

The sectarian violence was triggered when a procession of Bengalis protesting over the murder of a Bengali youth – Mohammad Mamun – attacked the Larma Square in Dighinala on September 19. The attackers blamed the national minorities for the murder.    

The unrest spread to Rangamati the next day.

The case filed over Mamun’s death by his wife revealed that the main suspects were Bengalis, particularly a BNP and two Awami League leaders.

Rani Yan Yan, the adviser to the Chakma circle chief, demanded a UN-supervised probe into the violence.

‘In our experience, there is not a single instance in which a crime involving security forces was properly investigated,’ said Yan Yan.

‘No one was ever tried for sectarian attacks in the past either,’ he said.

The families of national minorities, who left homes out of fear after flaring up the sectarian violence, started returning to their homes from Monday, locals said.