Khagrachhari Correspondent :
At least 13 people, including eight army personnel, were injured in a clash with the indigenous people at Karbaritila village under Dighinala upazila of Khagrachhari district on Sunday.
An executive magistrate was also among the five other local people wounded during the clash.
Witnesses said the clash erupted at about 12:30pm as the army personnel intercepted a rally brought out by Dighinala Land Protection Committee [DLPC] with a demand to shift the 51 Battalion Babuchhara BGB Headquarters.
The committee also demanded immediate withdrawal of false cases filed against the hill people and set up of houses of 21 families in Rojar Forest as compensation.
The DLPC members locked into a chase and counter-chase with members of the police and army that left eight army personnel injured. Police shot 30 blank fires to bring the situation under control, said Dighinala Zone Army’s Adjutant captain Touhidul Islam.
The injured army personnel were given treatment. But, their identities could not be known.
Officer-in-Charge of Dighinala Police Station Shahadat Hossain Titu said: “The hill people were locked
into a clash when police intercepted another procession in Noapara area when it tried to march towards Babuchhara. Being informed, a contingent of army moved towards Noapara.”
“Six army personnel received head injuries when the indigenous people started brick bating on the army convoy. Police and army fired at least 50 bullets and lobbed several rounds of tear-gas canisters to bring the situation under control,” the OC said.
The indigenous people were staging sit-in demonstrations in different streets of Khagrachhari demanding an immediate resolution of the incident.
Meanwhile, committee secretary Dharma Jyoti Chakma said some 21 indigenous families lost their homes after construction of Babuchhara BGB headquarters.
“We brought out a peaceful procession to press home for shifting the BGB headquarters to other place, rehabilitation of the affected 21 families and withdrawal of cases filed against the indigenous people. But, the army and police obstructed our procession in Karbaritila area putting up barricade on the road,” he said.
Dharma Jyoti also claimed that five members of his organization were injured during the chase and counter chase with police and army.
On June 10 last year, at least 23 people were injured in a clash between law enforcers and indigenous villagers over setting up of the new BGB battalion office at Babuchhara.
According to information available, the government started acquiring 45 acres of land from 2005 with a view to setting up the Babuchhara BGB-51 Battalion Headquarters at Dighinala Mouza, where some 13.90-acre land was private land and 31.10 acres was khash land.
Regarding the issue, some 10 hill people filed a writ petition with the High Court in 2005 and that is why the government started acquiring only 29.81 acres that included 2.20 acres of private land and 27.61 acres of khash land.
