Students demand increase of army camps in CHT, recovery of all illegal weapons

Students of Dhaka University, hailing from the hilly areas, staged a human chain and held a protest rally on the campus this afternoon, presenting four key demands, including increasing the army's role in protecting unarmed civilians and recovering all illegal weapons from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region.

At the event, held under the banner of "Students for Sovereignty" in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University, they blamed armed groups in CHT for the current unrest.

The demands include holding armed terrorists in the CHT accountable, recovering all illegal weapons, enhancing the army's role in protecting unarmed civilians, increasing army camps in high-risk areas, and repealing unconstitutional clauses of the CHT Peace Agreement.

Addressing the rally, DU student Minhaj Murshid Tauki said, "People in the hilly areas are unsafe due to some armed terrorist groups. They killed a Bengali named Mamun, accusing him of theft. Now, they are demanding to establish Jummuland in the hill region. If this demand is met, they claim they will be peaceful. Such effort started in 1974 because they never accepted the Liberation of 1971."

Another Dhaka University student, Mosaddek Hossain, added, "The terrorist groups in the hills have destabilised the region. They sit in Bangladesh while chanting anti-Bangladesh slogans, and a neighbouring state continues to incite communal conflict."

Earlier on the day, demonstrators gathered at Shahbagh in the capital, blocking the intersection to protest against the recent attacks on indigenous people in Khagrachhari's Dighinala upazila.

They gathered at the Raju Memorial Sculpture around 10:30am and demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the attacks, arson, and vandalism on the homes and shops of the hill tracts people.  

Around 11:45am, they marched towards Shahbagh and blocked the intersection for about 20 minutes.

On 18 September, a man named Md Mamun was beaten to death on suspicion of theft in Khagrachari. Following the death, Bangali students brought out a protest rally yesterday. Many provocative speeches were given, according to eye-witnesses.

At one point, heated arguments broke out between the Bangalis and the indigenous people.

Clashes ensued and at one point, miscreants set fire to about 50 shops at Larma Square in Dighinala upazila. Five people were injured in the incident.

Later at night, there were shootings in Narankhaiya area of Khagrachari sadar where three people were killed and nine people were injured.