Six Chakma organisations of Tripura have called for a statewide probe against Bangladeshi nationals in the state and submitted a memorandum to chief minister Biplab Deb in this regard.
The 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 and Chakma Development Foundation of India.
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The organisation in the memorandum stated that Tripuris are more vulnerable to the attacks by the Muslim settlers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) of Bangladesh.
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They said: “Opposite the South Tripura and Dhalai districts, the villages along India-Bangladesh border from Sabroom (Ramgarh on Bangladesh side) all the way to Raishyabari are exclusively inhabited by indigenous Tripuri people, at least 10,000 Tripuris only from bordering villages inside Bangladesh have settled in Tripura.”
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“There are about 300,000 Tripuris in the CHTs,” the Chakma organisations claimed.
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The memorandum further stated: “At least 860 families or about 8,600 persons from 28 Tripuri villages under five Union Parishads (Tabalchari, Tendong, Barnala, Amtali, Belchari and Gomti) under Khagrachari district of Bangladesh have fled to Tripura state of India.”
These people have “settled in various places such as East Sabroom, Silachari, Suknachari, Kaptala Para, Gorakappa, Ailmara and Karbook, Pancharatan and all the way up to Raisyabari since 2000”, the memorandum said.
“Out of these 860 families, about 195 Tripuri families from Bangladesh settled at Balkhali, about 135 families at Manyakumar Para, about 82 families at Ranjit Para and 52 families at Katanchandra Roaza Para under Gomtibari,” the organisations alleged.
“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,” they said.
At Krishna Doyal Tripura Para under Tendong Union just opposite Karbook, only one family of Kripa Rajan Tripura, age 53 years, is staying currently in the village, they said.
“Every day Tripuris are fleeing as their lands are being grabbed by the Muslim settlers,” alleged Arunjoy Chakma, representative of the Chakma organisations.
“About 1,572 Bangladeshi Tripuris have settled in Tripura state including 243 persons at West Govindabari, 345 persons at East Govindabari, 484 persons at Kakchangkami and about 500 at North Longtalarai under Dhalai district,” he added.
The memorandum also stated, “The Hindu minorities in Bangladesh have been facing serious religious persecution and fleeing to India including Tripura state.”
“On November 2, 2020, the houses of several Hindu families have been vandalised and burned by radical Islamists in Bangladesh’s Comilla district over rumours about an alleged Facebook post slandering Islam,” the memorandum said.
“On March 20 2021, several thousand followers of Hefazat-e-Islam’s leader Mamunul Haque under Shalla upazila of Sunamganj district in Sylhet division vandalised 70 to 80 houses of Hindus,” the memorandum said.
The six Chakma organisations also stated that as per the reports of Tripura Police at least 108 Rohingya refugees were arrested by the state police in the last three years from 2018 till now.
On March 16, 2021, one Rohingya identified as Sona Mia was arrested from Bishalgarh in Sepahijala district while he was on his way to Agartala to board a flight to Delhi on March 16, 2021.
These six Chakma organisations urged the Tripura chief minister to conduct a statewide inquiry in Tripura against the influx of foreigners irrespective of their ethnic origin or religion including in the specific areas mentioned in this memorandum.
These areas include Balkhali, Manyakumar Para, and Ranjit Para under Raishyabari and Katanchandra Roaza Para under Gomtibari under Dhalai district; 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.