Bengali settlers tried to grab Jumma’s land in Mahalchari

Bengali settlers tried to grab Jumma’s land in Mahalchari

On 5 December 2010 Bengali settlers constructed houses on the land of Jumma people at Lemuchari under Mahalchari upazila in Khagrachari district.

It is learnt that around 10.00 am on that day more than 100 Bengali settlers started to construct makeshift on the 8 acres of recorded land of Sunil Kumar Chakma s/o late Chandra Kumar Chakm and 3 acres of land of Ripan Talukdar s/o Gyana Talukdar at Lemuchari village under Lamuchari mouza of Mahalchari upazila in Khagrachari district and completed to erect 10 houses by the end of the day. A group of army from Mahalchari zone and Kengalchari sub-zone were present at the spot while Bengalis settlers were erecting the houses on the Jumma’s land.

Protesting against it, Jumma villagers demolished the houses in the morning of 6 December. On the contrary, Bengali settlers gathered there with the intention to attack indigenous Jumma villagers in presence of military forces.

Deputy Commissioner of Khagrachari Anisul Haque Bhuiyan, Acting (in-charge) Mahalchari Upazila Nirbahi officer Rahet Hossain and Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mahalchari police station Joynal Abedin rushed there today (on 6 December 2010). During the visit of the government officials, in absence of land owner Sunil Kumar Chakma, his son Kerington Chakma was present there and showed title deed of the land. It is mentionable that Sunil Kumar Chakma bought this from Painda Mog who got settlement this land in 1965-66.

However, DC of Khagrachari Md. Anisul Haque accused local Jumma villagers for destruction of Bengali settlers without accusing Bengali settlers for illegal construction of houses on the Jumma’s land.

It is also worth mentioning that Bengali settlers with the support of military forces and local administration occupied hundreds acre of land belongs to Jumma people in Mahalchari areas even after the signing of the CHT Accord in 1997. Very recently, Bengali settlers intensified land grabbing at these areas and as part of this move, they constructed houses on the land of Sunil Kumar Chakma and Ripan Talukdar.

Today (on 6 December 2010) the PCJSS, in a press release, protested against the land grabbing by Bengali settlers and support to them by the military forces and local administration in grabbing Jumma’s land and demanded to remove Bengali settlers from this area.

---------------------

source: PCJSS