The Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity and the United Peoples Democratic Front on Tuesday separately condemned the abduction of Kalpana Chakma in Rangamati, a sensational case which has remained unresolved for 15 years.
Both organisations accused the military and the Village Defence Party of involvement in the abduction and said that Lieutenant Ferdous had played the leading role in kidnapping Kalpana. They brushed aside the findings of the probe committee which said that neither the army nor VDP were responsible for the abduction of Kalpana, who was the organising secretary of the Hill Women's Federation 15 years ago.
The PCJSS, students and members of the Hill Women's Federation and Pahari Chhatro Parishad formed a human chain in front of National Museum in the morning.
The speakers expressed their concern over the fact that the abductor was still serving as an officer in the army.
They demanded exemplary punishment of the abductors, publishing of the probe report, withdrawal of army camps from the CHT and implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord 1997.
Rights activist Khusi Kabir said that since Bangladesh claims to be a democratic state, the probe report should be made public.
Academics Zobaida Nasrin Kona and Robaet Ferdous, columnist Syed Abul Maksud, Fahmida Zaman of Ain O Salish Kendra, rights activists Abu Sayed Khan, leaders of the HWF, PCP and Adivasi Chhatro Sangram Parishad also addressed participants of the human chain.
The UPDF, students and members of the HWF and PCP took out a procession and organised a rally in front of National Press Club in the evening to observe the anniversary of abduction.
Speakers in the rally also condemned the abduction of 10 HWF leaders on June 13 who were on their way to join the rally. They also demanded a fair investigation and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.
Faizul Hakim, general secretary of the Jatiya Mukti Council, called for a movement to stop all kinds of oppression of the people of small ethnic communities.
Samiul Alam Richi of the Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, Ashish Sharma of Biplobi Chhatra Sangha, Aongay Marma of the PCP, Mithun Chakma of the UPDF and Afroza Khatun of Lamppost also expressed their solidarity in the rally.
After the signing of the CHT accord in 1997, a dissident group of students, women activists and PCJSS leaders formed the UPDF to oppose the accord, and demanded total autonomy of the CHT region.
Kalpana, was abducted 15 years ago from her village home at New Lallyaghona of Baghaichhari in Rangamati, the night before the seventh national elections began on 12 June, 1996.
The widespread demand of the hill people and local and international rights organisations for making the abduction report public has not been heeded for 15 years.
Source: New Age
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