chtnews.com
News
No. 63/2012, Saturday, August
18, 2012
A
BENGALI settler on Friday set fire to a house belonging to a Jumma villager in
Maischari under Khagrachari district, raising tension between the two
communities in the area.
The
owner of the house, Batya Chakma, 25, son of Chikon Dhan Chakma, said the
incident happened at 3pm when there
was no one in the house.
He
suspects the motive for the attack is land.
Batya
Chakma, a resident of Manikchari Inner Para in Mahalchari Upazila, had built
the house couple of years ago after he had moved away from his father.
The
settlers have been trying to grab this piece of land for a long time.
‘When
there was none in the house, Ashraf, a Bengali settler from Joysen Para
village, took advantage of it and set the house on fire.’ a villager told chtnews.com.
Batya
Chakma’s father said he could recognize Ashraf. ‘I saw him running away after
setting fire to the house.’ he said.
During
the emergency rule from 2007 – 2008, hundreds of acres of land belonging to the
Jumma people had been forcibly taken away by illegal Bengali settlers in
Maischari with active support of the army.
These
lands have not been returned since.
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