News No.151/2015: Saturday,
September 19, 2015
THE army on Saturday
tortured nine Jumma villagers after taking them to Korengatoli army camp in
Baghaichari, Rangamati, according to sources.
All of them were
released later in the afternoon, except one, Ripel Chakma, who was injured
seriously from the beating.
The tortured Jummas
also included an elected public representative.
The arrest and torture
of the innocent villagers has its origin in a scuffle between a Bengali cattle
trader, Nuru Hossain of Baghaichari Muslim Block, and Nanacha Chakma, a resident
of Korengatoki Mukh village.
According to sources,
Nuru had been to Korengatoli Mukh village with Nanacha Chakma to buy cows for
Eid ul-Ftr.
But there they were
locked in a squabble over the payment of money and soon it escalated into a
scuffle between them.
After the incident,
Nuru went up to Korengatoli army camp and reported his one-sided version of it.
Without verifying his
allegations independently, Major Selim, who heads the camp, marched to the
village with his troops and caught nine villagers including Nanacha Chakma.
The soldiers took them
to the camp as they beat them with sticks and rifle butts. They were also
tortured at the camp.
The tortured Jummas
have been identified as Chittia Chakma, 25, son of Tibujya Chakma; Uttam Kumar
Chakma, 42, son of Hori Lal Chakma (Uttam is a UP member); Junu Moni Chakma,
26, son of late Purni Moy Chakma; Tapan Chakma, 18, son of Dipankar Chakma;
Ripel Chakma, 26, son of Sanchay Chakma; Sonakkey Chakma, 26, son of Tukuruk
Chakma; Morotto Chakma, 28, son of Purna Kumar Chakma, Nanacha Chakma, 32, son
of Mongol Kumar Chakma and Kalaya Chakma, 32, son of Shanti Chakma.
The army released
eight of them to the elected public representatives and village elders who went
to the camp to make a protest.
But the army kept
Ripel Chakma at the camp, saying he needed medical treatment.
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