Indian Chakma leaders call to downgrade diplomatic ties with Bangladesh
Indian Chakma leaders have presented a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reduce diplomatic relations with Bangladesh until the protection of the hill tribes and religious minorities in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) is assured.
In the memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, the leaders denounced the recent escalation of violence against the indigenous people in the CHTs, carried out by the Bangladesh Army and illegal plain settlers.
The Chakma leaders also appealed to PM Modi not to engage in any dialogue or meeting, including the ongoing session of the UN General Assembly, with the chief caretaker of the interim government of Bangladesh, Dr. Mohammed Yunus.
They highlighted the tragic loss of at least nine innocent tribals and the destruction of over 100 houses and shops in just two days.
The memorandum was signed by prominent Chakma leaders, including Suhas Chakma, Founder of Chakma Development Foundation of India; Rashik Mohan Chakma, MLA & Chief Executive Officer of the Chakma Autonomous District Council of Mizoram; Nirupam Chakma, Ex-Minister of Mizoram and Member, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes; Bimal Chakma, Member of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council; Prof. Gautam Chakma, President of Humanity Protection Forum and Head of the Department, Political Science, Tripura University; Pritimoy Chakma, Convener of Chakma Hajong Rights Alliance; and Ashutosh Chakma, President of the All Assam Chakma Society.
The memorandum emphasized that the ongoing attacks were a deliberate attempt to suppress the hill people’s increasing participation in democratic processes and to expell the hill tribes from the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
The memorandum highlighted that on September 12, Bangladesh news daily Prothom Alo reported about the attacks and damages of at least 1,090 houses, business establishments, and places of worship belonging to the minority communities between August 5 and August following the fall of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.
