Land aggressors repelled in Merung

chtnews.com
News No. 64/2008, April 12, 2008

The Jumma villagers in a Joutha Khamar (collective farm) in Merung area of Dighinala on 8 April successfully resisted the move of the illegal settlers to grab their land.

Sources in Dighinala said the CHT Development Board settled 50 Jumma families a couple of years back in Rashik Naagor Para of Merung area under its Upland Settlement Programme. Each of the family was granted 6.25 acres of land for horticulture.

But recently the settlers have been making repeated attempts to capture some of the land plots allotted to the Jummas. Certain local army commanders are alleged to be directly involved in inciting the settlers to grab the said land plots.

Describing the background to the 8 April incident a local NGO official told chtnews.com that the Jumma villagers had apprised Boalhali UP chairman Masud Rana and Merung UP chairman Moslem Uddhin of the settler attempts to grab their land. However, both of them refused to take any action against the settlers.

On the day of incident a group of settlers armed with dao and stick went to Kandara Karbari Para village in Joutha Khamar area and began erecting house structures after cutting various fruit trees grown by the Jumma residents.

When the Jummas asked the settlers to stop and keep off their lands, the settlers became furious and began attacking them. The Jumma land owners resisted the attack which left 10 - 12 persons injured including 7 settlers.

Sensing an impending attack, the Jumma villagers sent Dhana Muni Chakma to Dighinala police station to report about the settler attempt at land grabbing. The police refused to register a general diary and set out for the place of occurrence along with Dhana Muni Chakma. The attack had taken place before their arrival.

On the spot, the police refused to listen to the Jummas and arrested Ananda Lal Chakma and Ajit Chakma. However, none of the attackers was arrested.

After the incident, elders from Hindu community took initiatives to find an amicable settlement of the issue. But the Sama Odhikar Andolan, a platform of the illegal plain settlers, persisted in their pressure on the settlers to file a case against the Jummas. On the other hand, the Boalkhali UP chairman Masud Rana was reported to have told the settlers after contacting Dighinala cantonment that the zone commander had given order to file a case.

Eventually, a case was filed the following day, i.e. 9 April, against an unspecified number of Jummas in connection with the said incident.

The Jummas are now living in fear of arrest. Many have already gone into hiding.

Land grabbing has become a serious problem in Dighinala. Hundreds of acres of land have already been taken away by illegal settlers. Sources alleged that the army is now putting pressure on the members of Hindu community to take active part in the grabbing of Jumma people's land. Some Hindus were involved in the 8 April attack.