By Sanjoy Kumar Barua
In the dead of night, while the indigenous Tripura community of Tongyo Jhiri in Lama upazila, Bandarban, was celebrating Christmas in a nearby hamlet, flames engulfed their village.
At least 17 homes were reduced to ashes in a violent attack early today, allegedly orchestrated by Bengali Muslim settlers aiming to seize ancestral lands.
The attack, which took place at 1:30 am, left families shattered and homeless, with survivors calling it a deliberate act of ethnic aggression to evict them from their ancestral jhum lands.
“We went to the nearest para to join a Christmas celebration,” recounted Chandramoni Tripura, the village chief (Karbari).
“When we returned, we found our homes ablaze. The settlers had taken advantage of our absence to destroy everything we owned. They want our land, and now they’ve left us with nothing.”
Standing among the charred remains of his home, Bidyamoni Tripura, another victim, wept as he described his plight.
“Seventeen houses have been reduced to ashes. We’ve lost everything—our food, clothes, and shelter. How will we survive in these hills? We are constantly living under the threat of eviction,” he lamented.
The attack follows weeks of threats. “Last month, some men affiliated with BNP and Jamaat came to us and said we should leave our jhum lands or face consequences,” said Paima Prue, another resident.
“We told the police, but they didn’t care. Now, our worst fears have come true.”
The victims accuse local authorities of turning a blind eye to their repeated pleas for protection.
“We informed the police about the threats, but they ignored us. Are we not citizens of this country? Why are our voices unheard?” asked Chandramoni Tripura.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is increasingly witnessing a pervasive and coordinated pattern of land-grabbing, violence, and destruction, driven primarily by corporate interests eager to exploit the region’s resources.
The government’s response to this ongoing crisis has been profoundly inadequate, marked by a consistent failure to protect the safety and security of vulnerable Indigenous communities in Bangladesh.
Source:The Chittagong Hill Tracts
