A human chain and protest rally were held on Sunday in front of the office of the deputy commissioner of Rangamati, demanding the reinstatement of local MP Dipen Dewan as a full-fledged minister and changes in the administration of the hill tracts affairs portfolio.
The program was organized under the banner of Parbatya Chittagong Nagorik Samaj. Participants called for the restructuring of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs in line with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Agreement, and demanded that a representative from the indigenous communities be appointed as a full minister instead of a state minister from outside the hill communities.
Speakers at the event said the current arrangement was not aligned with the provisions of the agreement and urged the government to restore what they described as the “proper ministerial status” for representation from the hill districts. They also called for the removal of what they described as administrative stagnation and deterioration of law and order in the region.
The human chain was presided over by Md Mir Siraj Uddin Chowdhury, headman of Longadur Kalapakujya Mouza. Others who spoke included CHT Headman Network Vice President Sujit Dewan, District Karbari President Nanda Bikash Chakma, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad leader Swapan Mallick, District Mahila Dal President Nur Jahan Parul, and Mahila Headman Manuching Marma.
After the rally, a delegation submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Deputy Commissioner of Rangamati, seeking urgent intervention to resolve ongoing administrative and security concerns in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region.
