Hill Voice, 22 September 2024, International Desk: On 20 September 2024 Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) and International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) issued a joint statement against violent attacks on indigenous Jummo people in CHT of Bangladesh.

The full text of the statement is as follows:

We are deeply concerned about the ongoing attacks on Indigenous Jummo people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) since September 19, 2024. The unrest began following the alleged mob killing of a Bengali settler on September 18. Without any proper investigation, Bengali settler organizations unjustly placed the blame on the Jummo community, despite the Officer-in-Charge of Khagrachari Police station confirming a different narrative. Using this as a pretext, Bengali settlers launched violent attacks on Jummo individuals in Dighinala Upazila, Khagrachari, and set their properties ablaze on the evening of September 19.

Later that evening, Jummo youth took to the streets in the Swanirbhar, Naranghiya, and Upalipara areas of Khagrachari Sadar, staging a road blockade in protest of the Dighinala attack. However, around 9 PM, military vehicles arrived, and live footage circulating on social media showed the military opening fire on the Jummo people to disperse the crowd, resulting in casualties and multiple injuries. Prothom Alo3 has confirmed at least three deaths among Jummo individuals in Dighinala and Khagrachari, and the casualty count may rise as some hospitalized victims are critically injured.

In protest of these attacks, Jummo youth organized a procession in Rangamati town on the morning of September 20. Upon reaching Banarupa Market, live-video footage showed that they were met with stone-throwing by Bengali settlers. At the same time, someone from the Banarupa Bazar Jam-e-Masjid used the mosque’s loudspeaker to falsely announce that Jummo people were coming to attack the mosque, inciting panic and urging people to resist. This misinformation quickly spread on social media (still circulating), leading to mass mobilization of settlers who took to the streets to attack the Jummo youth. A similar pattern was also seen during the attack in Dighinala yesterday, where mosque loudspeakers were used to gather a mob before the violence escalated.

One Indigenous youth has been confirmed killed in the settler attack in Rangamati, with numerous others injured. Several homes and businesses belonging to Jummo individuals in Banarupa, Champaknagar, and Bijon Soroni have been set on fire. The office of the CHT Regional Council Chairman, as well as the office of the Parbatya Chattagram Pahari Chhatra Parishad, have been set on fire, along with the vandalism and looting of the Kathaltali Moitri Bihar Buddhist temple. The full extent of the arson attacks is still emerging.

The military’s role during these attacks raises serious concerns. Live footage from Rangamati shows settlers armed with clubs and sticks walking behind three military pickups around noon in the Fishery Ghaat area, with no intervention by the military. This mob later proceeded to attack Jummo individuals and their properties.

Following the fall of the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina’s regime, we had hoped that the Indigenous peoples of CHT would finally experience the benefits of true independence. This hope was reinforced by the Honourable Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, who stated in his address to the nation on August 25, “Indigenous people are also citizens of this country and are entitled to equal protection under the law”. 5 However, since that speech, settler organizations in both CHT and Dhaka have organized protests against the Chief Adviser’s use of the word “Indigenous.” Demonstrators carried placards demanding, “Chief Adviser’s anti-state speech needs to be withdrawn,” “Chief Adviser should apologize or resign,” and “Bengalis are the Indigenous people of Bangladesh”. It appears that the current violence in CHT is a reaction to the Interim Government’s positive stance on the CHT issue, with the alleged death of the Bengali settler on the 18th serving as a pretext for further unrest.

We urgently call on the Interim Government of Bangladesh to take immediate action to ensure the safety and protection of the Indigenous peoples in CHT. We demand the formation of a UN[1]led inquiry committee to investigate the alleged human rights violations, the root causes of the violence, and the role of the military. If the security personnel who fired on unarmed students during the recent student movement that ended Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian rule can be brought to justice, we believe the military personnel who opened fire on unarmed Jummo people yesterday night should also be held accountable. The video footage we have collected will be crucial for the investigation. We also call for the withdrawal of the executive order related to ‘Operation Uttoron,’ which places civilian administration and law enforcement in CHT under military control. Furthermore, we urge the removal of all temporary military and security force camps in CHT, except for the six military bases as outlined in the 1997 CHT Accord. Finally, we call for steps to be taken to facilitate the dignified relocation of settlers from CHT.”