Hill Voice, 6 April 2020, Cox’s Bazar: On 5 April 2020, Mankhali Chakma Para, an indigenous Tanchangya/Chakma inhabited village in the Inani area of Ukhiya upazila under Cox’s Bazar district was allegedly attacked by a group of neighboring Bengali Muslims.
A resident of Mankhali Chakma Para named Nepal Chakma, also an indigenous student of Cox’s Bazar Government College, was seriously injured in the attack.
In addition, the attackers beat some Chakma boys, took away the mobile from a young man named Eman Tanchangya and threw bricks and ransacked some houses.
It is reported that at around 6 pm on 5 April 2020, some indigenous Chakma boys from Mankhali Chakma Para went to the nearby Shawkat Ali shop to buy some goods. At that time, an altercation between the shopkeeper and the two boys took place.
Shortly afterwards, the shopkeeper Shawkat Ali phoned some Muslims in the vicinity and informed them that Chakmas were vandalizing the mosque. It is to be noted that there is an under construction mosque next to Shawkat Ali’s shop.
It is worth mentioning that, after hearing that ‘the mosque is being demolished by Chakmas’, the neighboring Muslim Bengalis came to the spot at around 6 pm and started to attack Mankhali Chakma Para.
The attackers blocked the Mankhali Chakma Para until around 10 pm, using various provocative and communal speeches and conducted the attacks. Police later came there and brought the situation under control, and forced the assailants to leave.
Locals said the quarrel was between Shawkat Ali and the Chakma boys. That could have been solved through discussion.
They said that such communal attacks and provocations by making complete fabricated allegations and covering the communal sentiment are extremely distressing and worrying.
Locals have demanded a proper investigation into the communal attack and take appropriate punishment for those responsible and the attackers.
