Voter listing in CHT

Army tries to get settlers registered in Jumma area

An army officer from Mahalchari Zone in Khagrachari district has been putting pressure on Monotosh Chakma, an Election Commission appointed Field Supervisor for Mahalchari area, to enlist illegal plain settlers as permanent voters of Ward No. 5 under Kiang-ghat Union.

Major Azad told Mr. Chakma that he must register the Bengali settlers as permanent resident of Ward No. 5. On 12 December, the Thana Nirbahi Officer Abul Hossain summoned him at his office to discuss the issue of voter listing. Azad was also present there.

When both of them raised the settler issue, Mr. Chakma told them that he could not go beyond the rules set by the EC. He said, "we are bound to go house to house and enlist the people. We will definitely enlist all those we find eligible for registration as voter in Word No. 5. But unfortunately, as far as I know, there is not a single settler house in that area. Therefore, we cannot enlist some one as voters of Ward No. 5 when we know that he or she is in fact residing in a nearby area. We are helpless."

The Major was not ready to hear this. He threatened him again and the TNO accused him of creating division between the Jummas and Bengali settlers.

After failing to coerce Mr. Chakma into doing his bidding at the TNO office, Major Azad sent an order for Mr. Chakma to meet him at Zone headquarters on 18 December. It is not known whether he complied with the order or what happened afterwards.

The army has long been trying to enlist some Bengali settlers of nearby cluster villages as permanent voters of Ward No. 5.

They forced the District Election officials to bend the rules and appoint Md. Hemayet, a teacher of Lemuchari primary school and a Bengali settler, as a field enumerator in addition to Joti Purno Chakma. This involved huge arms-twisting and backdoor dealings on the part of the army.

One resident of Lemuchari commented, "if the army and the election officials break their own rules even at the time of voter registration, then one does not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what will happen in the elections."

Report by-Hill Watch Human Rights Forum, NEWS No. 66/2007, December 20, 2007