The Bengali settlers from Islampur, Bogachari and other settler villages perpetrated communal attack upon three Jumma villages in Bogachari area under No.3 Burighat Union of Naniachar Upazila in presence and with support of an army contingent around in between 7:00 a.m to 9:a.m. on 16 December 2014. In this heinious attack, the Bengali settlers put to torch 50 houses (39 in Suridas Para, 7 in Bogachari village and 4 in Nabin Talukdar Para) and 7 Jumma-owned shops at Choddomile roadside. Bengali settlers also vandalised 5 Jumma-owned shops at Choddomile, severely beat one Buddhist monk, broke Buddha images and looted 5 bronze-made Buddha statues including the donation box of Suridas Para Buddhist temple. On the other side, 2 Jumma civilians including one public representative were beaten by the army during attack and the army personnel rampaged two motor cycles owned by Jummas.
As a result of this attack followed by arson and rampage, some 300 Jumma villagers including women and children of 50 houses and 12 shops that were burnt to the ground, became homeless instantly and many compelled to stay in bush-made tents under open sky in simmering cold while many compelled to take shelter in nearby villages. Books, education materials and uniform of students studying at various levels were burnt to ashes. The list of affected students received as primary information reads primary level students 30, secondary level students 19, Higher Secondary students 2 and 2 are tertiary level students.
During the attack, besides houses, possessions such as, clothes, cookeries, furniture, huge amount of rice and paddy, paddy machine, solar installations, articles of regular usage, valuables including hard cash and goods in the shops were completely destroyed by fire. In the attack, the amount of loss and damage of 50 houses costs approximately 16.1 million Taka while the amount of loss and damage in 12 shops stand approximately 4.87 million Taka.
Incident of communal attack and arson as it happened in Bogachari is not a new offence in CHT. The main objective of this design is to convert the tribal-predominated CHT into a Muslim-predominated region by way of evicting the Jumma peoples, to occupy their lands and homesteads and to establish Muslim Bengali settlements and expand them. As the attacks of this kind were carried out before the CHT Accord and such attacks are being continued after signing of the CHT Accord. But however, the post-accord communal attacks have been modified to a different degree. In one hand, the implementation of CHT Accord, the charter of rights of indifenous Jumma and permanent Bengali residents of CHT, is being hindered while on the other, keeping the CHT situation emmersed in unrest, the avenue for developing fundamentalism in the country has been widened thereby. It is for this phenomenon, even during this day of post-accord era, the Bengali settlers have carried out 18 brutal and barbaric communal attacks upon the Jumma peoples, including that of Bogachari under Naniachar, with active support of Anti-Accord elements and fundamentalist forces.
Please find the full report of this incident here.
PCJSS Statement on Bogachari, Naniachar communal & arson attack (English), (16 Dec 2014)