Chittagong Hill Tracts regional council chairman Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, also known as Santu Larma, at a conference in Rangamati on Friday alleged that a section of the state was involved in a deep conspiracy to abolish the CHT Regulation, 1900 considered essential to protect the customary rights of the national minority communities in the region.
Addressing the 鈥楥HT Headman conference鈥� as chief guest at the CHT Headman Network office in Rangamati, he underlined the need for the enforcement of the CHT regulation to protect the customary rights of the national minority communities in the hill districts of Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban.
鈥業f the conspiracy to cancel the act cannot be resisted, the existence of Jummas living in the CHT will be more threatened,鈥� he told the conference.
He said that this conspiracy must be resisted to preserve the existence of Jumma people鈥攖he national minority communities living in the CHT.
Santu Larma, who is also the president of Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti, urged the headmen (Mouza head) and Karbaris (village head) to forge a united movement to protect the customary rights of the national minority people in the CHT.
Chakma circle chief Raja Debashish Roy compared the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation, 1900 with a pillar of a building in protecting the customary rights of the national minorities in the hills.
He also said that the steps taken to cancel the act were a threat to the CHT and it could not be allowed in any way.
鈥業t is not so easy to uproot us with just one case or a judgment in the court,鈥� he said.
Mong Circle Chief Sachingpru Chowdhury warned of waging a larger movement against the conspiracy to repeal the CHT Regulation, 1900.
At the end of the conference, a 31-member committee was announced with Kangjari Chowdhury as the president and Shanti Bijoy Chakma as the general secretary for a three-year term.
In a case filed by Rangamati Foods Products Limited in 2003, a High Court bench ruled that the CHT regulation was a 鈥榙ead law鈥�.
As a result, the CHT District Council and Regional Council which are the institutions created by the CHT treaty 1997, and the customary rights protected under the CHT regulation faced crisis.
On appeal against this judgment, a full bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on November 22, 2016 ruled that the regulation was an effective and valid law. The Supreme Court in another case on December 2, 2014, gave similar ruling.
Later in 2018, two Bengali residents of Khagrachari appealed for a review in the Supreme Court against the two SC judgments.
The Appellate Division is scheduled to hear on July 26 whether it would accept the review petition.
