Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Adviser Supradip Chakma has promised strict action, emphasizing that everyone involved in an arson attack this week on 17 Tripura community homes will be brought to justice.
“We are working tirelessly to ensure the safety of not only those directly impacted by this tragic incident but also every resident of the area,” Supradip said on Friday during his visit to Lama upazila, Bandarban, where the 17 homes had been set ablaze.
He further said: “Four suspects have been detained, and efforts are ongoing to arrest those who remain at large. No one involved in this incident will be spared.”
The adviser visited the affected area Sarai union and strongly condemned the act of burning down homes, calling it “highly reprehensible.”
He said assistance, including legal land transfers and aid for the victims, will be provided.
The government will ensure security, education, healthcare, and access to water for all citizens in the area, he added.
He also promised support for the establishment of a proposed police camp in the region to ensure safety.
Relief materials, including two bundles of corrugated tin sheets, 25kg of rice, and two blankets per family, were distributed to the 17 affected families by the Hill District Council.
Meanwhile, the victims alleged that Bandarban Awami Swechchhasebak League President Mongwai Ching Marma, along with Rafiq, Delwar, Shukkur, Farid, and Ibrahim, had been involved in past land grabs and other misdeeds under the name of former IGP Benazir Ahmed.
Gungamani Tripura, the plaintiff in the case filed over the fire, claimed that Mongwai Ching Marma, Ibrahim, Rafiq, and Delwar had repeatedly threatened the Tripura community in Betachhara village.
The victims suspect that these people were behind the fire and demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.
At around 12:30am on Wednesday, Christmas Day, unidentified individuals set fire to 17 thatched houses in Betachhara village while the residents were at a nearby church in Tongazhiripara for Christmas prayers.
Following a case filed after the incident, police arrested four suspects and are continuing their efforts to arrest the remaining individuals involved.
