The Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord Implementation Movement has held a rally to protest shootings, killings, attacks on homes, shops and religious sites, and arson attacks on the hill people in Khagrachhari and Rangamati.
The organization held the protest rally on Sunday before the National Museum at Shahbagh, Dhaka.
Human rights activist Dipayan Khisa moderated the event, while Zakir Hossain, joint coordinator of the movement, presided over it. Dr Khairul Islam Chowdhury, a professor at Dhaka University and joint coordinator of the movement, read out a written statement.
Khairul said that without resolving the issues in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh's sovereignty issues could not be solved.
"If the hill people are not safe, neither will Bangladesh be," he remarked.
He pointed out that since 1976, the problems in the hills had been exacerbated, shrinking the rights of the hill people.
“A peace accord was signed with the state in 1997, raising hopes of a solution. However, as the accord has not been implemented, the problems persist,” the professor said, urging immediate steps to fully implement the accord.
DU’s Prof Robaet Ferdous, president of Sammilito Samajik Andolan, said many labelled the people from ethnic minority communities in the hills as separatists.
He questioned this line of thinking, pointing out that even 10 years ago, the hills lacked proper network coverage, while network companies advertised coverage across 61 districts.
Robaet asked whether those seeking inclusion in the network were separatists or those excluding them were. He said the problems in the hills should be viewed through the lens of the hill people, not through a security perspective, and that the peace accord's implementation was essential for resolving the issues.
Meanwhile, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal General Secretary Nazmul Haque Prodhan said branding the hill communities as separatists and terrorists had led to repression. This repression, he said, would not be able to wipe out these communities.
Nazmul added that dialogue was necessary, saying that the accord must be implemented during this government's tenure to fulfill the people's expectations.
Communist Party of Bangladesh President Shah Alam said the CHT had long been unstable, “but recent communal violence was instigated following the death of a motorcycle thief.”
He noted that unrest had begun as the hill communities had not been valued post-independence.
“Considering the geopolitical tensions around the CHT, implementing the accord is a timely demand,” Alam said, urging that all communities, like in Nepal, should be included in the constitution and calling for a fair investigation into the recent violence.
Speakers at the rally presented several demands, including the formation of an independent commission to investigate the attacks in Rangamati and Khagrachhari, ensuring the safety of the lives and property of ethnic minorities, proper compensation for the families of the deceased, and prompt treatment for the injured.
