The Tripura Chakma Students’ Association (TCSA) on Saturday took out a rally in Agartala in protest against atrocities and killings of indigenous people in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) by its army.
Following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, violence against minorities and indigenous communities has increased in Bangladesh, the protesters said.
The TCSA members raised slogans condemning escalating attacks, arson and killings in the CHT, where hundreds of indigenous people, particularly from the minority Buddhist Chakma community, have reportedly been targeted.
On Friday, Chakma leaders in India sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Indian government to downgrade its diplomatic ties with the caretaker government in Bangladesh.
“We urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter and protect the minority people of Bangladesh by taking steps. The minority community has been targeted in Bangladesh after the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government. Today, we took out a rally against the atrocities of our people in Bangladesh,” said Amitav Chakma, a protester.
Similarly, members of the Youth TIPRA Federation (YTF), the largest tribal youth group in Tripura, held a protest outside the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Agartala on Saturday against alleged atrocities and killings of indigenous people in CHT and attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh.
The protesters alleged that illegal settlers, with the backing of the Bangladesh army, orchestrated violent attacks against indigenous communities.
A memorandum signed by YTF chief Suraj Debbarma was submitted to the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh, appealing for urgent action to protect indigenous and religious minorities.
The memorandum sought immediate measures to ensure the safety of those facing persecution in CHT.
