On Thursday (19th September), violent Muslim mobs attacked the Buddhist Chakma and Hindu Tripuri communities in Dighinala and Khagrachhari Sadar in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh.
According to reports, the accused set fire to more than 200 shops and homes belonging to the minority groups. The Muslim mob also attacked a Buddhist temple and carried out an arson attack.
The official death toll is 3 although our sources in Chittagong confirmed that the actual death toll is much higher.
The deceased were identified as 20-year-old Junan Chakma, 60-year-old Dhananjoy Chakma and 30-year-old Rubel Tripura. All of them belonged to the minority communities.
The targeted attack on Buddhist Chakmas and Hindu Tripuris came a day after a criminal named Mohammed Mamun was killed in Khagrachari on Wednesday (18th September) while trying to steal a motorcycle. Mamun had 17 criminal cases registered against him, including theft.
An organisation named ‘Bengali Chhatra Parishad’ took out a procession in the city a 4:30 pm on Thursday (19th September) to protest the death of Mamun and then carried out violence against Buddhist Chakmas and Hindu Tripuris.
The carnage continued till 8:30 pm on Thursday before the situation could be brought under control. However, fresh violence was carried out by Muslim mobs yet again on Friday (20th September) morning.
A victim named Insta Chakma told The Daily Star that the local masjid made a false announcement that the tribals were attacking the Bengalis. This emboldened the violent Muslim mob to attack Chakmas and Tripuris and set fire to their businesses.
“Then like many, we fled from that area and had no shelter in the forest. Fire and smoke could be seen from the forest,” the victim added.
The onslaught against Hindu Tripuris and Buddhist Chakmas, which started in Khagrachari, also spread to the adjoining Rangamati district.
To make matters worse, a mosque in Rangamati further incited Muslims to attack the minority groups. A man could be heard directing the Chakmas and Tripuris to retreat or face consequences.
The development took place soon after Hindus and Buddhists alike took to the streets to protest against the attack on them. Reportedly, 40000 Chakmas and Tripuris participated in “March for Identity” rally in Khagrachari.
Suhas Chakma, Director of the Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) informed, “…Bangladesh Army supported the burning down of the Chakma shops and houses at Dighinala Sadar today. Consequently, there is no Chakma left in the Dighinala sadar area.”
He added, “Such act of violence underscores the growing insecurity faced by indigenous communities in the CHTs. The issue of lack of safety and security for the Chakmas will be raised before international bodies, including the United Nations Human Rights Council”
The affected areas of Khagrachari and Rangamati are part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, which is home to the indigenous Chakma, Marma, Tripuri, Chak, Bom, Lushei, Khumi and other tribal groups.
The local administration has imposed a curfew in Rangamati from 1:30 pm onwards on Friday to prevent any untoward situation.
The situation on the ground
OpIndia reached out to a female Hindu activist from Chittagong, whose house was attacked by Muslim mobs after the fall of Dhaka on 5th August 2024. She informed us that the conflict between Muslims and the tribal community is not new.
“There have been repeated attempts to convert Chakmas, Tripuris and other tribes to Islam. Given that there is a shortage of employment opportunities in the hill tracts, many of them live in abject poverty. Islamic groups reach out to them for Dawah and make lucrative offers.”
“If they refuse, then, they are intimidated and threatened.” She insisted that the current incident should not be looked at from a ‘Bengali Vs tribal’ perspective, given that only one community was behind the onslaught.
OpIndia is in touch with a victim, who had to flee his hometown in Dighinala and is currently in hiding. Due to safety and security reasons, he only communicates to us via messages through an interlocutor in Bangladesh.
Another source, familiar with the development, informed us that a nefarious attempt is underway to brand Chakmas and Tripuris and part of the ‘Christian-Kuki’ alliance eyeing to create their separate State.
The source added that they would use it as a pretext to ‘justify’ carrying out military action against the vulnerable minority groups and blame India at the same time.
Bangladeshi media pass off violence as ‘ethnic clash’
In the meantime, prominent Bangladeshi media began discounting the religious motivation behind the attack by presenting it as a conflict between ‘Bengalis and tribals.’
This is despite the fact that only Muslims participated in the onslaught against Chakmas and Tripuris, who predominantly belong to the Buddhist and Hindu communities. At the same time, it must be remembered that a Buddhist temple was also set ablaze by the Muslim mob.
It’s evident that the Bangladeshi media is yet again trying to shield radical Muslims involved in the religious targeting of minorities.
We have previously reported about the nefarious attempt to downplay violence against Hindus (post the undemocratic ouster of Sheikh Hasina as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister) as ‘fake‘, ‘exaggerated‘ or ‘politically motivated‘.
Attack on Hindus in Bangladesh
There have been at least 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops and businesses since the ouster of Sheikha Hasina as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
OpIndia had reported how a Hindu boy named Utsab Mandal was almost lynched by a Muslim mob on accusations of ‘blasphemy’ in the Sonadanga residential area of Khulna city.
We previously exposed how Muslim students have forced as many as 60 Hindu teachers, professors and government officials to resign from their positions.
Human rights activist and exiled Bangladeshi blogger, Asad Noor, has recently revealed that the minority community is now being coerced into joining ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’.
On 6th September, a procession of Hindu devotees carrying the idol of Lord Ganesha came under attack in the Kadam Mubarak area in Chittagong city of Bangladesh.
