Tripura: Chakma organisations call for state wide inquiry against Bangladeshi foreigners

AGARTALA: Six Chakma organisations of Tripura and Chakma Development Foundation of India in a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb called for state-wide inquiry against Bangladeshi foreigners in the State.

Sux Chakma organisations are--Tripura Miley Joda, Chakma Socio-Cultural Development Society, Tripura Rejjya Chakma Gabujjye Joda, Chakma Buddhist Welfare Society, Chakma Youths Progressive Association, Chakma Socio-Cultural Organisation,

It needs to be mentioned that at least 10,000 Bangladeshi Tripuris entered India from Bangladesh border areas while 108 Rohingya refugees were arrested by Tripura Police in the last three years.

The Chakma organisations stated that Tripuris are more vulnerable to attacks by Muslim settlers in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs).

"Opposite the South Tripura and Dhalai districts, the villages along the India-Bangladesh border from Sabroom (Ramgarh on the Bangladesh side) all the way to Raishyabari are exclusively inhabited by indigenous Tripuri people, at least 10,000 Tri." In the CHTs, there are approximately 300,000 Tripuris," the added.

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According to the memorandum, "At least 860 families or approximately 8,600 people from 28 Tripuri villages under five Union Parishads (Tabalchari, Tendong, Barnala, Amtali, Belchari, and Gomti) in the Khagrachari district of Bangladesh have fled to Tripura and settled in various places such as East Sabroom, Silachari, Suknachari, Kaptala Para, Gorakappa, Ailmara and Karbook Out of these 860 families, approximately 195 Tripuri families from Bangladesh settled in Balkhali, 135 in Manyakumar Para, 82 in Ranjit Para, and 52 in Katanchandra Roaza Para under Gomtibari”.

“Out of these 28 villages in the CHTs, not a single Tripuri family is found at Rambabu Deba Tripura Para and Brajendra Tripura Para under Tabalchari Union as all their lands have been grabbed by the Muslim settlers. At Krishna Doyal Tripura Para under Tendong Union just opposite Karbook, only one family of Kripa Rajan Tripura (53) is staying currently in the village. Every day Tripuris are fleeing as their lands are being grabbed by the Muslim settlers and about 1,572 Bangladeshi Tripuris have settled in Tripura including 243 persons at West Govindabari, 345 persons at East Govindabari, 484 persons at Kakchangkami, and about 500 at North Longtalarai under Dhalai district.” said Arunjoy Chakma, representative of the Chakma organisations.

The memorandum also said, "Hindu minorities in Bangladesh have faced serious religious persecution and have fled to India, including Tripura." Radical Islamists vandalised and burned the homes of several Hindu families in Bangladesh's Comilla district on November 2, 2020, in response to rumours about an alleged Facebook post slandering Islam. On March 20, 2021, several thousand followers of Hefazat-e-Islam leader Mamunul Haque vandalised 70 to 80 Hindu homes in Shalla upazila of Sunamganj district in Sylhet division.”

These six Chakma organisations urged CM Biplab Deb to conduct State-wide inquiry in Tripura against influx of foreigners irrespective of their ethnic origin or religion including in the specific areas mentioned in this memorandum such as (1) Balkhali, Manyakumar Para, and Ranjit Para under Raishyabari and Katanchandra Roaza Para under Gomtibari under Dhalai district; (2) Narikul Kunja, Naikacherra, Twikchakma, Thakurchara, Ratannagar, Pancharatan, Rani Pukur, Purba Raima, Boyalkhali, Boyacherra under Dhalai district; and (3) West Govindabari, East Govindabari, Kakchangkami and North Longtalarai under Dhalai district.

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