On July 8, at least 50 families left their dwellings in face of violence and threats from the local terrorist groups.
On July 5, two local armed groups locked in fighting over the extortion money. Police, later, arrested Bimal Chakma from the scene with firearms.
Following the arrest, the terrorist groups attacked and ran rampage in Talukderpara under Tarachha union in Rowangchhari blaming the locals for providing informations to police.
Angered at the police intervention, the terrorists also threatened locals of killing.
Fearing retaliation, over 70 people out of around 130 people took shelter at a local hotel in Bandarban town, where eight to ten people had to live in each of those two-seated rooms.
With assurance of district administration, 30 out of 50 families returned backed to their houses on Tuesday.
During a visit to the area yesterday, this correspondent found that a four-member police team was patrolling Betchhara. A makeshift Army camp has been set up at a school.
About 70 families live at Betchhara which is located seven kilometres away off district headquarters. As the village is located in remote part of the district, terrorist groups often stay at the houses of local residents making them hostage at gunpoint, said local sources.
The terrorists also forcibly take money from farmers which they get selling their crops, if they do not want to give the share of money, the gangsters torture the indigenous indiscriminately, the sources added.
Seventy-year-old Usra Ching Marma, who is now living with her family locking door from outside told the Dhaka Tribune that she could not flee with other people as she was sick on the day.
“But on those days, I had to live with grave anxiety,” she said breaking down into tears. She also explained that she had locked her house from outside so that terrorists thought that nobody was living at the house.
Mong Gila Marma, another resident of the area, said: “We came to our dwellings following administration's assurance. If we do not get sufficient safety, we have to leave our houses, But we want to live at our ancestral residences where we have been living for long.”
Chha Thoai Ching Marma alleged that members of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti had been torturing locals for log.
“They [members of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti] have made us their target, we pass night in fear as they can kill us anytime,” he added.
Superintendent of police Mijanur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that they were giving priority on the security of locals.
After the signing of Chittagong Hill Tract treaty on December 2, 1997, the government has reduced the number of Army camps at the CHT. Taking the advantage, terrorist groups have established reign of terror there, said the sources.
Deputy Commissioner Dilip Kumar said they would take decision over setting up Army camp after talking with government's high-ups.