A group of ethnic youths on Wednesday demanded stopping mass arrests and harassment of people of Bawm community in Bandarban in the name of joint operation for their alleged involvement with the armed hill group Kuki-Chin National Front.
They made a six-point charter of demands at a rally under the banner 鈥業ndigenous students and youth organisations鈥�, in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh of the capital.
Their demands also included immediate release of innocent people arrested in the drive, ensuring security of the civilians, and identifying the real criminals and bringing them under law.
They said that joint forces, so far, arrested 111 people in the cases filed over the incidents of bank robberies, arms snatching, and abduction.
Speakers alleged that the security forces restrict the people in Bandarban to purchase essential commodities.
They demanded an immediately withdrawal of strict restriction on the purchase of essential commodities.
Bangladesh Adivasi Chhatra Sangram Parishad president Alik Mree alleged that the recent events were staged by the government and security forces in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to evict Bawm community people and occupy their land.
He said that it was a conspiracy to wipe out a whole community from CHT in the name of drives to restraint KNF.
He said that it was very suspicious that KNF abled to rob banks in broad daylight despite having so many camps of security force in the region.
Hill Women鈥檚 Federation Dhaka unit organising secretary Riya Chakma in the main speech said that mass arrests harassment in the name of joint operation was human rights violation.
鈥榃e are not against security forces鈥� operation against KNF following the incidents of bank robberies, arms snatching, and abduction. We want criminals to be identified and brought under the law quickly,鈥� added Riya.
Bangladesh Chhatra Federation central committee president Mashiur Rahman Khan said that arresting people from Bawm community was similar to the way Muslims were given the title of terrorists all over the world.
He said that everyone should come forward and protest against all the torture and oppression of the ethnic community people in the country.
鈥業t is important for us to speak against how the indigenous people of our country are not recognised in the constitution,鈥� he added.
Speakers also alleged that one of the reasons of creation of KNF was the non-implementation of the CHT peace treaty.
They also demanded that allegations of human rights violations brought against joint forces should be investigated properly.
On April 2, the KNF launched an attack to loot Tk 1.5 crore from the vault of the state-owned Sonali Bank鈥檚 Ruma upazila branch and abducted the branch manager Nezam Uddin in their failure to loot the cash.
They, however, looted at least 14 firearms and over 400 bullets, beating members of law enforcement agencies.
On April 3, the KNF also looted Tk 17 lakh in cash from the Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank branches in Thanchi upazila of Bandarban.
The abducted Sonali Bank manager was rescued on April 4 through negotiation by the Rapid Action Battalion.