Hill Voice, 16 April 2025, Chittagong: Pahari Chatra Parishad (PCP), Chittagong University branch, has expressed strong condemnation and concern over the abduction of five students of Chittagong University (CU) by the armed group of the anti-CHT Accord UPDF (Prasit) and has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted students.
Today, a press release sent by Rebek Chakma, Information, Publicity and Publications Secretary of the Chittagong University branch of PCP, informed about the kidnapping incident and expressed the condemnation and demands.
The press release mentioned, “At approximately 6.30 am today, five (5) students of Chittagong University were abducted at gunpoint by armed terrorists of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF-Prasit), an anti-CHT Accord organization, from Giriful area of Khagrachari Sadar. The abducted students are Aldrin Tripura, a student of the 2023-24 academic year of the Institute of Fine Arts of Chittagong University, Maitrimoy Chakma, a student of the same department and same academic year, Dibyi Chakma, a student of the 2023-24 academic year of the Department of Drama, Rishan Chakma, a student of the 2023-24 academic year of the Department of International Relations, and Longi Mro, a student of the 2023-24 academic year of the Department of Zoology.”
It further states, “The kidnapped students went to Baghaichari in Rangamati with their friends on the occasion of the Bizu festival. After the Bizu festival, on April 15, 2025, they came back to Khagrachari Sadar from Baghaichari via Dighinala to return to the Chittagong University campus. Since they could not get tickets for the Chittagong-bound bus that day, the five of them spent the night at a relative’s house in a place called Kukichara, some distance from Khagrachari town. Today, April 16, 2025, at around 6.30 am, while they were coming from Kukichara to Khagrachari Sadar in a tom-tom autickshaw, a group of armed terrorists stopped their vehicle in the Giriful area and abducted 5 (five) students, including the driver of the tom-tom autu-rickshaw, from there to an unknown location. Among the five kidnapped students, Rishan Chakma is a member of the Chittagong University branch of the PCP.
It is worth noting that on August 6, 2024, UPDF armed terrorists kidnapped two leaders of the Hill Women’s Federation from Rangamati Sadar at gunpoint, beat them up and released them three days later. Such heinous abductions by UPDF terrorists against ordinary students, including rights activists, are in no way desirable in the aftermath of the country’s mass uprising led by the students and the public and are contrary to the spirit of the mass uprising.
The press release further said, “The PCP, Chittagong University branch is demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the five abducted students of Chittagong University and the driver in good health and at the same time, it is calling on the Chittagong University administration and Khagrachari district administration, including all concerned, to take immediate action.”
