TWELVE United Peoples’ Democratic Front (UPDF) members were arrested last night from its Subolong office under Rangamati district, a UPDF press release and other sources said.
The army and police claimed that they had recovered illegal arms and ammunitions and documents during the raid in the office which is just a few hundreds from an army camp and is surrounded by Kaptai lake water on three sides.
However, UPDF’s leader Alakesh Chakma vehemently rejected the claim, saying it was “stage managed and a premeditated conspiracy.”
He condemned the arrest and demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
According to eyewitnesses’ accounts, a group of army personnel led by a captain from Subolong camp, which situated at the top of a hill, raided the UPDF office downhill at about 9pm and the captain gathered all the twelve UPDF activists on the rooftop of the office building.
“Then he began to ask questions about UPDF in a lighter vein” a shopkeeper who was present there told chtnews.com and added that when one of the UPDF activists had wanted to go downstairs to fetch some water bottles the commander dissuaded him, saying “not now, not now.”
‘Just minutes later an army man shouted from inside the office: “I got it, I got it.”’ he continued.
Then the army produced a rickety 9MM pistol, two rounds of cartridge bullets, Taka 17 thousand ($ 227) and some documents before a gathering public.
The army was accompanied by a few policemen from Rangamati Kotwali thana or police station.
Although Subolong is under Barkal police station, no police personnel from there were present during the raid.
The UPDF office is just a few hundred yards away from the camp.
After midnight (12:45am) the arrested UPDF members were taken to Kotwali Thana in Rangamati town.
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source: chtnews.com
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