Hill Voice, 13 May 2020, Khagrachari: A group of Bangladesh Army members allegedly broke the Jum house of indigenous Jumma Jum farmers and uprooted their planted banana saplings in Matiranga Sadar Union of Matiranga Upazila under Khagrachhari Hill District.
According to local sources, this year, like other areas, a number of poor Jumma families have started cultivating Jum (shifting cultivation) in the 203 No. Abhya Mouza area of Matiranga Sadar Union.
For this purpose, the Jumma farmers build Jum houses in place of their own Jum farm and also plant banana trees there.
But on May 12, 2020, at around 3:30 pm, an army of 20 personnel led by a Major of the Shichak sub-zone under the Matiranga army zone went to the Jum area and smashed the Jum houses of several families and uprooted many banana seedlings planted in the Jum farms.
The army claimed the land as the site of their abandoned camp.
The army also threatened Jum farmers to face severe punishment if they did not remove the turmeric planted from their Jum field within next three days.
The Jum farmers affected in the incident are-
- Upendra Tripura (63), son of late Terosh Tripura, village- Rupasi Para; He is the village Karbari (village head);
- Apan Kumar Tripura (38), son of late Moni Kumar Tripura, village- Jal Kumar Para;
- Purna Kumar Tripura (65), son of Ashwin Chandra Tripura, village Tantung Para;
- Paila Kumar Tripura (53), son of Gabaching Tripura, village- Tantung Para.
Source: chtnews.com
