On the night before Christmas, miscreants set fire to 17 homes of members of Tripura community in Tongjiri Para, Saroai Union, Lama Upazila, Bandarban over alleged land dispute.
On Tuesday night, while the villagers were attending Christmas prayers in a nearby church at Tongjiri Para, miscreants set fire to 17 makeshift houses in the remote Purba Betachhara Para of Saroai union.
The blaze completely destroyed the homes, causing an estimated loss of Tk15 lakh, according to the affected residents.
Upon receiving news of the incident, Rupayan Dev, upazila nirbahi officer (acting), Enamul Haque, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of the local police, and Monirul Islam, project implementation officer, visited the site immediately.
Sources said 19 Tripura families from Lama and the neighboring Alikadam Upazila had started living in Purba Betachhara Para three months ago, naming the village accordingly.
Around 1am on Tuesday night, while these families were at a church in Tongjiri Para for Christmas prayers, unknown individuals set fire to their makeshift homes, leaving 17 houses completely destroyed.
Previously, on November 17, facing threats, one of the residents, Gunga Mani Tripura, filed a general diary at Lama Police Station against five individuals, including Stephen Tripura, and 7-8 unknown persons.
The victims of the fire include Gunga Mani Tripura, Siandra Tripura, Chandra Mani Tripura, Vidyachandra Tripura, Ajaram Tripura, Rumanik Tripura, Gren Tripura, Bijoy Tripura, Marjhel Tripura, Joychandra Tripura, Gungarang Tripura, Tifram Tripura, Ansarai Tripura, Janali Tripura, Tarasing Tripura, Bashichandra Tripura, and Obadiya Tripura. They are now living under the open sky.
Local representatives said that the area known as Purba Betachhara Para includes land previously owned by former IGP Benazir Ahmed, which housed a garden popularly called "SP’s Garden."
Several Tripura families from different regions began living there in small makeshift homes.
Internal disputes over control of the land arose among the Tripura community. Some groups are allegedly trying to misrepresent the arson incident.
Gunga Mani Tripura claimed that about a month ago, Stephen Tripura and several others formed a group of armed individuals, threatening residents and demanding a large sum of money. When they refused, they were allegedly threatened. Taking advantage of their absence during prayers, the group reportedly set the village on fire. However, Stephen and his group have denied the allegations, calling them false and motivated.
Lama Police Station Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Enamul Haque stated that no formal complaints had been filed regarding the arson as of Wednesday afternoon, but action will be taken upon receiving a complaint.
Meanwhile, Rupayan Dev, the acting Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said that after visiting the site, aid in the form of rice, lentils, oil, and blankets was provided to the victims for their immediate needs.
