PCJSS blames UPDF
Gunmen killed two villagers and an activist of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti, a regional political party in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, in Kaptai of Rangamati on Friday.
The PCJSS claimed that all three deceased were its supporters and blamed its rival United People’s Democratic Front for the killings but the UPDF denied the charge.
Locals and police said 10-20 armed people in green attire swooped on a tea shop at Agapara under Chitmaram union and shot the three villagers – Chy Ching Khowai, 25, Hla Ching Khoi Marma, 30, and an unidentified youth – and left the place.
The three people died on the spot.
PCJSS sources identified the third victim as Devi Chakma Rocky, who had gone there from Baghaichari, although locals and Chitmaram union council chairman Thowai Ching Marma could not confirm his identity but suspected him as an activist of PCJSS.
PCJSS assistant information secretary Sajib Chakma told New Age all three slain villagers were supporters of the party and that the gunmen had abducted a few more people from the spot.
UPDF spokesperson Niron Chakma denied the allegations. ‘UPDF had no involvement in the incident. There are no activities of the UPDF in the entire Kaptai upazila. It has become a habit of the PCJSS to blame us whenever something like this happens.’
Sajib, however, claimed that the UPDF gunmen had come from nearby Rajsthali upazila. ‘We condemn the heinous act and demand immediate arrest of the UPDF goons and seizure of illegal arms from their possession,’ he said.
Alakesh Chakma, a UPDF operative in Rangamati, said they heard that the ‘clash’ had resulted from rivalry between the PCJSS and a breakaway faction of the party.
Thowai Ching Marma said two of the three victims were residents of his village and they had never seen them involved with any political party. ‘But we failed to identify the other victim. He is an outsider and we have heard he was an activist of PCJSS,’ he said.
Thowai Ching said panic gripped the remote village as it was so far free from factional rivalries.
Chandraghona police officer-in-charge Pradip Kumar Das said, ‘We are trying to identify the attackers. Security has been tightened and police, BGB and military personnel are on patrol. The bodies will be sent to Rangamati General Hospital for post-mortem examination.’
Kaptai upazila nirbahi officer Hazera Khatun said the death of three people had been confirmed ‘Police have been sent there…I can say nothing more at the moment as the area is out of mobile phone network.’
Rangamati assistant superintendent of police Pranab Kumar Roy said three bodies had been recovered and brought to Rangamati General Hospital.
Fierce rivalries between the UPDF and the PCJSS since the formation of UPDF in 1998 have often led to bloody clashes between the two regional political groups. The PCJSS, led by Santu Larma, signed a peace treaty with the government the 1997.
After the signing of the 1997 CHT treaty, a dissident group of students, women activists and PCJSS leaders formed the UPDF opposing the deal calling it a ‘document of surrender’ and demanded total autonomy of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in the PCJSS-UPDF rivalries since 1998. At least 38 leaders and activists were killed only in Rangamati district between June 2010 and August 2011.
Gunmen had killed four activists of the UPDF, including its central committee member Animesh Chakma, at Mitingachari of Barkal in Rangamati on May 20.
-With New Age input
