Chittagong Hill Tracts: Youth Killed in Rangamati Gun Attack
A tribal youth was killed and another injured yesterday in a gun attack by UPDF activists allegedly.Below is an article published by the Daily Star :
A member of Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) was killed and another injured in a gun attack allegedly by the activists of United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) in Rajasthali upazila of Rangamati early yesterday.
The dead was identified as Ananda Tangchangya, 22, son of GoneshTangchangya of a village in Rowangchhari upazila of Bandarban.
Ananda was a PCP member of Rowangchhari unit, party sources said.
The injured, Palash Chakma, was admitted to the local upazila health complex in a critical conditon and later shifted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated.
Locals said a gang of around 40 to 50 activists of anti-peace treaty group UPDF swooped on the PCJSS and PCP men at an office at about 5:00am when they were asleep.
Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) men, who support the peace treaty, grabbed the office of the UPDF last month and named it Rajasthali Krira and Sangskritic Club.
Since then, 15 to 20 members of the PCP, student wing of the PCJSS, used to stay there at night to keep control over the office.
Protesting the killing, the leaders and activists of the PCJSS and the PCP brought out a procession in the upazila town at about 12:00noon and also held a rally on the premises of Rangamati deputy commissioner's office.
The leaders blamed the UPDF for the attack and alleged that the government did not ban the UPDF despite their repeated demand.
They said UPDF is the main barrier in implementing the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) peace accord.
The leaders urged the government to take step for full implementation of the accord without further delay.
They also demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment to the culprits.
Michael Chakma, UPDF leader of Rangamati unit, however denied the allegation against them saying that the attack might have been taken place due to internal clash of the PCJSS.
Md Rezaul, officer-in-charge, of Rajasthali Police Station confirmed the incident and said, “We are trying to arrest the killers.”
Earlier on May 16, a leader of PCJSS named Uchinu Marma was shot dead and Ubaching Marma wounded in another gun attack by the UPDF men at the same place.
