9-year old Jumma girl raped and murdered

A 9-year old Jumma girl has been raped and murdered in Ramgarh under Khagrachari district.

Ms Shamini Tripura, aged 9, (father's name Mung Chandra Tripura) was raped on 8 January while she was on her way back home from school. She was a class three student of Sonai Aga Government Primary School.

Her mother Jotina Tripura told HWHRF that Shamini set out for school at about 8 in the morning, which is about 2 kilometers from their house in the village of Ghorta Para. "As she was not back home long after the closure of classes, we began searching for her" she said adding that they found her lying dead in a pool of blood only the next day in the jungle between the school and their home.

She confirmed that they found evidence of rape on her body. However, she could not tell who the culprits might be, although she said there are sizable Bengali settlements as well as Jumma houses in Sonai Aga village, previously known as Huneitya and populated exclusively by Jumma people.

Their village Ghorta Para lies about 3 kilometers west of Ramgarh Upazilla headquarters.

Sonali Chakma, president of Hill Women's Federation, a platform for the Jumma women in CHT, condemned the rape and murder of Shamini Tripura and demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment for the culprits.

Recently, sexual violence against the Jumma women has increased. A few days back, on 4 December 2007, a ten-year old Marma girl was raped in Manikchari under Khagrachari district while she was on her way to school. The culprit was identified, but never punished. The police refused to file cases in connection with the incident.

On 26 October 2007, a Bengali settler named Mostafa attempted to rape Ms Myenu Marma alias Anu (23) in Lakshmichari. She was on her way to Shalbon Buddhist temple to offer food to Buddhist monks.

On 22 July 2007, Ms Supta Chakma (17) was gang-raped by some Bengali miscreants at Free Port area in Chittagong. She came there in search of a job at factories in Export Processing Zone.

On 17 April 2007, an unidentified settler made an attempt to rape Ms Arema Marma, a housewife, in Manikchari under Khagrachari district.

On 4 February 2007, a group of settlers kidnapped Nunu Ujai Marma (16) from Lohazhiri village under Byshari in Bandarban district while she was grazing her cows. She has not been traced since then and is believed to have been raped and murdered.

On 2 January 2007, a group of army personnel attempted to rape the wife of one Ranu Chakma (35) s/o Natya Chakma in Bakchari village under Naniachar Thana of Rangamati district.

Source:- Hill Watch Human Rights Forum, NEWS No. 06/2008, January 10, 2008