KNF member dies in prison, protests erupt demanding justice
The Hill Students' Council of Chattogram Metropolitan and University branches, along with the Hill Workers' Welfare Forum, organised a protest rally in Chattogram demanding justice for the death of KNF member Lal Tneng Kim Bawm in prison, the release of innocent Bawm women and children, and justice for the rape and murder of Chingma Khiyang.
Protesters demanded a fair investigation and called for the full implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord.
Following a bank robbery and arms looting incident carried out by the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) in Ruma and Thanchi of Bandarban on April 2–3, 2024, law enforcement agencies arrested many people from the Bawm community, including women. They are in Bandarban and Chattogram prisons. On Thursday, Lal Tneng Kim Bawm fell ill at Chattogram prison and died on the way to the hospital.
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The rally was held at Cheragi Mor in Chattogram city today followed by a protest march which started and ended at Cheragi Mor after passing the Press Club.
Ayon Sen Gupta, vice-president of Bangladesh Students' Union Chattogram District, said, "Kings come and go, but our situation never changes. Though the CHT Peace Accord was signed, it has never been implemented."
Santosh Sharma, general secretary of the Hill Workers' Welfare Forum, said, "We have still not been freed from the oppression inflicted on the people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts under the label of 'terrorists.' Since the Peace Accord has not been implemented, we are now witnessing two systems of governance within one country. Despite being citizens of this country, we constantly have to carry our ID cards with us."
Anesh Chakma, president of the Chattogram University unit of the Hill Students' Council, said, "In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, we see police, army, and BGB camps every two to three kilometres. With so much security presence, how was my sister gang-raped and then murdered? How did the killers remain unarrested after the murder? How are they roaming freely in Chattogram?"
