JSS terrorists kill three in Matiranga

As the Jana Samhati Samiti celebrated the eighth anniversary of Chittagong Hill Tracts treaty, its armed members on 2 December shot dead three members of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) in Ramgarh in Khagrachari district.

Local villagers said the incident occurred early in the morning when JSS men opened fire indiscriminately on a group of members and supporters of the UPDF at a tea shop at East Hazachara, killing Bhaggyo Chakma (30), Sujon Chakma (26) and Dillip Chakma on the spot. The victims were about to set out for Khagrachari to attend a public rally organised by UPDF to observe the Day of Resistance Against Traitors.

After the terrorist attack the JSS men left the scene and the police recovered the dead bodies. Police refused to hand over the dead bodies to their parents and buried them at Ramgargh showing total disregard towards the social and religious customs of the victims.

However, the UPDF Khagrachari District office informed today that after a heated war of words the Superintendent of Police today has finally agreed to exhume the dead bodies and hand them over to their guardians, but refused to give permission to bring them to Khagrachari for autopsy.

The victims’ guardians will receive the dead bodies today and cremate them at Matiranga. A deal has been signed to this effect between the police and the guardians.

The armed members of the Jana Samhati Samiti, which celebrated the eighth anniversary of a peace deal it signed with the government of Bangladesh in 1997, have been carrying out terror attacks on the members and supporters of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) for the last eight years. So for more than 200 have been killed and double this number abducted. As the attacks have been stepped up in recent weeks despite a call for cessation of hostilities, these figures continue to rise.

All sections of Jumma society as well as religious leaders have been urging the JSS leaders to halt armed offensives and sit for direct talks with the UPDF. But the calls have gone largely unheeded.

Prepared by Press Section, Publications and Publicity Department, United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), December 05, 2005, Dhaka.