“If necessary I will leave Laxmichari, but before I leave I will create a different situation.”

On 25 September 2009, six innocent Jumma villagers were picked up on suspicion of being supporters of the United Peoples’ Democratic Front (UPDF) and tortured in Laxmichari army zone under Khagrachari district. The interviews of three of the victims – Ratan Bindu Chakma, Pai Prue Chai Marma and Nila Prue Marma – taken a few days ago in Khagrachari testifies how rampantly the army uses torture to intimidate the supporters of a particular party. We excerpt the interviews below:


Ratan Bindu Chakma

On the day of the incident, 25 September, I was on my way to Morachengi Mukh Para to attend as an invited guest a religious event marking the anniversary of Mon Kumar Chakma’s death. On my way there, I halted at Bimal Chakma’s shop for a while. It was about 10:15am. All on a sudden a group of army personnel led by Laxmichari zone commander in a lorry appeared at the shop.

I recognised the zone commander and saluted. He asked my name. When I told him, he said, "Oh! I see I have caught you at last!" To his soldiers he said, "Handcuff and blindfold him."

Then I was handcuffed and blindfolded. The zone commander flung abuses at me and said, “I will not take you to the camp. I will just take you in this direction and then kill you.” Then they hit me a few times with a stick.

The zone commander asked me, “Do you know why you have been arrested?” I replied, “I am innocent. I don’t know on what charges I have been arrested.”

Then the zone commander said, “You keep contacts with UPDF; you are involved with the incident of Rannyamachara.”

Thereafter, I was taken to the village of Jotindra Karbari Para, where I was interrogated and tortured again. The zone commander said, “You must speak the truth.”

Then I was taken in a vehicle to the Zone where I was caned and given electric shocks.

Later, they measured my blood pressure and stopped torture. The zone commander asked whether I had been to Khagrachari with Shukla and how many times I had been to Dullyatoli.

He said, “Everyone who visits Dulyatoli is required to register his or her name with the camp. Your name appears 10 times on the entry book. That means you have been to Dullyatoli 10 times to meet Shukla.”

He also asked whether I knew that Super Joti Chakma had come to Laxmichari. He said, “I know Super Joti has come to Laxmichari.”

In fact, I did not know that Super Joti had come to Laxmichari. Then the zone commander made me to call Super Joti from my mobile phone and directed me what to tell him.

The zone commander further asked if I had met Buddha Chakma, what were his duties, how Antar Barua looked, whether he looked like a Chakma or a Bengalee.

I said I know Buddha, but I do not know what he does. As regards Antar Barua, I told him that he looks more like a Bengalee.

When I was released, the zone commander said to me, “Whenever I call you, you will have to meet me. Until you have been successful in aiding the arrest of any of these UPDF members – Tarum, Antar, Buddha, Shukla and Beauty – you will have no freedom.

Thereafter, the army set me and other arrested villagers free. It was 2:30pm by then.

On 26 September, when Jotindra Lal Tripura MP came to Laxmichari, we narrated the whole incident to him. I told him how I was tortured – physically and mentally – and given electric shocks at the zone. Like me, others also spoke of the torture they suffered.

However, as soon as Mr. Jotin had left at around 1:30pm, the zone commander called us to his office. Then Pai Prue Chai and I went to the zone. Others were not available at home and did not go with us.

The Zone commander also called a Bengalee to the camp. He had appeared in the camp before us.

The Zone commander asked him (the Bengalee) several questions, such as ‘who have met with the MP’, ‘what they have told him’ etc.

When we arrived at the Zone, Captain Himel asked us why we had met with the MP and told him about yesterday’s incident.

He told us ‘you will get into troubles if you go too far. We will not spare you. You are genuine members of the UPDF, and now you are pretending to be members of Awami League and have brought the MP here.”

The Zone Commander appeared a few minutes later and began to threaten us.

The commander asked us why we had told the MP about yesterday’s incident.

The commander said, ‘I did not torture you, and yet why did you bring up false allegations (against me)?’

Then I told him “we had told him (MP) what was true. When you brought me here in broad day light, handcuffed and blindfolded, all could see it. After that, you tortured me with beatings and electric shocks. These are not lies.”

The Zone commander then repeated his question in a threatening voice: ‘Did I torture you?’ This time we were forced to tell him, ‘No sir, you did not torture us.’

Then, the Zone commander phoned the Upazila Chairman and told him ‘your people have come to me and said they were not beaten up.’

We had no other alternatives than to retract our statements under such circumstances.

The zone commander had emphatically told us “if necessary I will leave Laxmichari, but before I leave I will create a different situation.”

However, the commander did not say what he meant by “different situation”.

He ordered us to appear at the zone again at 10am on 27 September.

We are really very scared. We are living in fear of arrest.


Pai Prue Chai Marma

I had been at the shop since early in the morning. It was about 9:30am. All on a sudden, the army came and surrounded the shop. The zone commander himself began to shout at us in indecorous language. The soldiers brought Battya Kashem from his home and tied his hands. However, I don’t know what they have asked him. Some time later, they untied him and then took him in a vehicle towards Morachengi Mukh. From there they picked up Ratan Bindu and Pulindra. When I saw Ratan Bindu blindfolded and handcuffed, I became certain that we were also going to meet the same fate.

Later, they were taken in a vehicle to the zone. Then all of us including Aungsa Prue, Nila Prue and me were taken to the zone.

In the zone we were at first kept under the shadow of a tree. Later, a captain shouted, “blindfold these people and take them out in the sun”.

Then we were kept standing in the sun. After about two hours the zone commander came and we were taken to the Gol Ghar (round house) where they removed the folds from our eyes. At this time, they hit me trice with a stick.

The zone commander said, “Why don’t you inform me when UPDF members come? When we are on patrol, you inform them with your mobile phones sitting at the shop. It is because of you that I am not being able to nab UPDF people.”

So, our offence is that we do not inform the army when UPDF members come.

The zone commander is particularly suspicious of me. When Mustafizur was 2-IC, he tortured me. Now I am living in fear.


Nila Prue Marma

At first the army surrounded all our shops. It was about 9:30am. As soon as they came, they tied up Battya Kashem. He said, “I will show you (the whereabouts of) the UPDF members.” I was sitting at the shop.

The Zone Commander came up to me and said, “hey Nila Prue! Kuttar Bachcha (son of a bitch)”. He continued to shout obscenities at me, and then said, “Give me your mobile phone.” I said, “I don’t have any.” “I know you don’t have a mobile phone” he said.

Then he snatched away a mobile phone from Aung Sa Prue and said, “You people pass messages (to UPDF men) with these mobile phones. If you pass messages like this, then you must shut your shops completely.”

After that, the Zone Commander left for Morachengi, leaving a few army personnel guarding us at the shops.

About one hour later, they came back with Ratan Bindu and Pulindra. The army took them away in a vehicle to the Zone. They also took Pai Pru Chai, Aung Sa Prue and me to the Zone.

At the zone, we were at first kept under the shadow of a tree. Later a captain came and ordered his men to take us out in the sun and blindfold us. They blindfolded us in such a manner that we could neither see nor hear anything.

They kept us in the sun for about two hours, and then removed the folds from our eyes when the Zone Commander came.

When we were released, Zone Commander said, “UPDF people sit cross-legged like village elders. When you see people like this, then you will have to consider them as UPDF men and inform us. And when you pass the message to us, just say ‘a big hen is coming’.