Five Bengali orgs call strike for Thursday, Sunday

Five organisations of Bengalis in the Chittagong Hill Tracts again on Wednesday called general strikes in the hill districts for Thursday and Sunday protesting at the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission (Amendment) Act 2016 and arrest of a leader in Bandarban.

The strike would be enforced in three hill districts – Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban from 6:00am on Thursday to 6:00am on Friday and from 6:00am on Sunday to 6:00am on Monday, said a release signed by Parbatya Gana Parishad secretary general Alam Khan.

Announcement was made on public address systems for the general strikes in the three hill districts on Wednesday.

Earlier, the five organisations – Parbatya Nagarik Parishad, Parbatya Bengali Chhatra Parishad, Parbatya Sama Odhikar Andolan, Parbatya Gana Parishad and Parbatya Bengali Chhatra Oikya Parishad – enforced strike in the three hill districts on August 9 and 10 for the same demand.

Demanding immediate repeal of the amendment act, leaders of the organisations alleged that Bengalis in the hill districts would be deprived of the land rights and would become refugees as the land commission already began functioning.

All the members in the commission are from ethnic minority communities, they said, demanding that representatives from the Bengalis must be inducted into the commission.

Terming the government decision a conspiracy, they alleged that the government made the decision to evict Bengalis from the hill districts.

They also demanded immediate release of Ataiqur Rahman arrested by the police in Bandarban recently.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net