At a candlelight gathering on Monday evening in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh, Dhaka, members of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord Implementation Movement condemned the state’s ongoing violence and impunity in the hills, accusing the interim government of betraying its promise of justice and equality. Speakers mourned those killed in Guimara, Khagrachhari, during protests over the gang rape of a Marma teenager and alleged excessive use of force by law enforcement.
Reading a declaration, Zakir Hossain of the movement called the government’s silence a moral and political failure, demanding the Chief Advisor’s intervention, compensation for victims’ families, and protection for the assaulted girl. He also condemned the public release of her medical report as a violation of her dignity and safety.
Speakers said the 1997 CHT Peace Accord remains largely unimplemented, leaving Indigenous peoples trapped in cycles of violence. Professor Khairul Islam Chowdhury described the crisis as part of a long history of repression in Khagrachhari and Rangamati, urging an end to “the politics of denial” that denies hill communities land, rights, and humanity.
Human rights advocate Shamsul Huda denounced the government for hiding injustices and maintaining military control in the CHT, while Mushtaq Hossain of Bangladesh JSD said civilian rule in the plains and military rule in the hills cannot coexist in a just state. Professor Mahmudul Sumon of Jahangirnagar University rejected the labeling of Indigenous resistance as “separatism,” calling it a struggle for equality and justice. The event, hosted by Dipayan Khisa, saw solidarity from rights and youth groups including Oikya NAP, Chhatra Union, Kapeng Foundation, and Samajtantrik Chhatra Front.
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