The Daily Star, Wed. December 03, 2003
Star Report
An indigenous youth was shot dead and two others were wounded yesterday in Khagrachhari during a road barricade programme of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) in the three hill districts on the sixth anniversary of the signing of the peace accord there.
Gunmen, allegedly members of the pro-peace accord PCJSS, rained bullets on Gyaneshwar Chakma, 36, the dead, and Dhrubajyoti Chakma, 32 and Antar Barua, 31, the injured, at 6:00pm in front of the UPDF office in the remote hilly area of Babuchhara of Khagrapur under Dighinala upazila.
The victims were members of the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), which opposes the peace accord signed in 1997 ending two decades of insurgency.
Gyaneshwar and Dhrubajyoti were rushed to a private clinic but Gyaneshwar died at 2:30pm. Dhrubajyoti was in critical condition, our Chittagong correspondent reported. Antar was undergoing treatment in a Khagrachhari hospital.
The gunmen also set the local UPDF office ablaze before fleeing, our Khagrachhari Correspondent quoted sources as saying.
The PCJSS enforced the dawn-to-dusk road and also riverway barricade in all the three hill districts yesterday to press for its demands for full implementation of the accord.
Protesting the attack and killing of the UPDF men, the Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) and Hills Women Federation brought out a procession in the port city yesterday.
The procession ended up in a rally in front of Chittagong Press Club where the UPDF leaders at a rally blamed the PCJSS for the attack. They demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the killers.
The Greater Chittagong Hill Tracts Students' Council also blamed the PCJSS for the killing. They took out a procession from Dhaka University Teacher and Student Centre (TSC) in the protest at the attacks.
Our correspondents from three hill districts reported that the road blockade was enforced in the three hill districts, with vehicles staying off the roads.
Communications with the rest of the country was disrupted due to the road blockade and commuters suffered greatly.
Our Bandarban Correspondent reported that the PCJSS and its front organisations yesterday observed 'Protest day' in there yesterday.
The four-party alliance government-backed organisations of Banglee settlers hoisted black flags in the Bandarban town.
Bangalee Chhatra Parishad, the PCJSS, PCP, and Parbatya Gano Parishad held separate rallies in front of the local press club, at Silpakola Academy and at Reserve Bazar.
Meanwhile, main opposition Awami League's Rangamati district unit organised
a discussion marking the sixth anniversary of the peace accord signing. The
discussion was presided over by district AL President and former MP Dipankar
Talukder. The discussants demanded full implementation of the accord to establish
peace in the CHT.