Chittagong Hill Tracts: Communal Attack by Muslim Bengali Settlers
A quarrel between an indigenous student Mr. Tutul Chakma and a Muslim Bengali
student of Rangamati Government College over smoking in the college was the
reason that set the background of the attack.
Muslim Bengali settlers attacked the indigenous student with a knife resulting
in serious injuries his body.
After sometime of this violence, Muslim Bengali settlers aired an unsubstantiated
rumor that the indigenous people were attacking the villages of Bengali Muslim
settlers and started attacking indigenous people on roads with iron rod and
stick indiscriminately in the College Gate, TTC, Kalyanpur and Bhedbhedi areas.
In this attack, over 10 indigenous people were wounded, of them Mr. Mintu
Dewan (18) s/o Sunil Kanti Dewan seriously.
Later indigenous youths tried to resist the attack resulting in a communal
clash between the indigenous people and Muslim Bengali settlers. In this clash,
an auto rickshaw driver was seriously wounded. He was sent to the Chittagong
Medical College hospital.
Police and army were deployed to “control” the situation.
Communal tension was looming large in Rangamati.