Settlers attempt to grab paddy land in Lemuchari

A settler attempt to grab a piece of paddy land in Lemuchari has led to a scuffle between Jumma villagers and a group of illegal plain settlers in Khagrachari district. However, no one was hurt.

HWHRF representative in the area informed that Md. Tofer, a settler from Chongrachari cluster village, had been making attempts to capture 20 decimals of 1st class paddy land belonging to Biaml Kanti Chakma since 13 December. He began to plow the land as though it belonged to him.

On 18 December, Bimal Kanti Chakma raised objections and asked Tofer to keep off his land. However, the settler struck a bargain and said he would occupy that piece of land by any means.

Many other settlers joined him. They said that the army was with them, that the country belongs only to 140 million Bengali people and that the Paharis (hill people) are not welcome in their country.

They further said that all the lands now the Jummas live in actually belong to them (the settlers) because the government gave them these lands back in 1982 and 1983.

The Jummas refuted the claim saying they had lived there well before that time and that the government has no right to take away one person's land and then give it to another one.

The Jummas asked the settlers to produce valid documents in support of their claim.

They failed to do so and became angry. At one stage the settlers tried to drive them away by force. But when the Jummas protested, a minor scuffle broke out between the two groups.

One of Tofer's wives came running at them wielding a dao (a kind of knife), but she was blocked by other settlers.

No one was seriously hurt in the fight.

Since that incident, there has been no report of fresh settler attempt to grab that piece of land.

It is to be mentioned that in October 2007, two acres of third class hilly land belonging to Bimal Kanti Chakma (45) and his brother Nitimoy Chakma (50) were taken away by the settlers.

Source from-Hill Watch Human Rights Forum, NEWS No. 68/2007, December 26, 2007