Santu Larma faces public anger in Maischari

chtnews.com
News No. 10/2010, January 28, 2010

Santu Larma was greeted with boos and catcalls, shoes and sandals, brickbats and dula at Maischari and some other places on Khagrachari - Rangamati road as he was on his way to participate in a meeting of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Commission yesterday morning.

Hundreds of people halted his convoy, escorted by police, at Maischari bazaar, pelted his vehicle with brickbats and booed him, shouting "dhara, dhara", "dua dua" (catch him, catch him, assault, assault). They also called him a dalal or collaborator.

The crowd dispersed only when Mr. Larma's armed cadres (some of whom are enlisted criminals) fired shots into them. However, no one was hurt in the firing.

After that, Larma took shelter in the nearby Maischari army camp. He demanded that he be provided army protection for rest of his journey, but was refused.

Later, additional police force came from Khagrachari and took him to the meeting venue at Khagrachari circuit house.

The angry people also hang down shoes and sandals and dula (a bamboo-made basket which has become a symbol of collaborator) at various places including Chongrachari and Maischari under Mahalchari Upazila.

Earlier, his convoy also came under attack when groups of people pelted brickbats at Atara Mile, Betchari Khamar Para and Kalapahar.

Near Zero Mile in Khagrachari, groups of people shouted at him calling him dalal as his convoy passed by.

His car's windowpane broke when hit by brickbats, and he was injured when a splinter hit him in the hand.

Chakma Raja Barrister Debashish Roy and Rangamati District Council Chairman Nikhil Chakma also sustained minor injuries when the mob hit their vehicles with brickbats by mistake.

Santu Larma blamed UPDF for the attack. However, UPDF leaders Niron Chakma and Shanti Dev Chakma vehemently denied this.

They termed the incident as an outburst of public resentment against Santu Larma who is solely responsible for the continuing fratricidal conflict, which has already claimed hundreds of lives.