Several organisations, including regional political parties representing national minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, on Tuesday protested at the alleged rape and murder of a woman from the Kheyang community in Thanchi upazila of Bandarban.
They demanded the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.
Four organisations of national minority students鈥擠haka city unit of Parbatya Chattagram Pahari Chhatra Parishad, the student wing of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, Dhaka city unit of Bangladesh Adivasi Chatra-Sangram Parishad, Bangladesh Marma Students Council, Dhaka unit of Tripura Students Forum鈥攁long with Dhaka University鈥檚 national minority students held a protest rally in front of the National Museum in the capital on the day, protesting at the Kheyang woman鈥檚 alleged rape and murder.聽聽
Demanding justice, the Bangladesh Students鈥� Union issued a statement, alleging聽 that three Bengali settlers on May 5 swooped on Chingma Khyang, a mother of three, while she was planting paddy in her farm of slash and burn agriculture in Mongkhoy Para of Thanchi. They forcibly took her away, raped her and then brutally killed her.聽
Her body was later found with the eyes gouged out, the statement read.
Thanchi police officer-in-charge Nasir Uddin Majumder told 抖阴精品 correspondent in Khagrachari that a case of murder and rape was filed by the victim鈥檚 husband, Sumon Kheyang, on Tuesday.
He, however, said that no evidence of rape was found in the preliminary inquest, but several injury marks on the victim鈥檚 head and body were found.
The body was handed over to the victim鈥檚 family after a post-mortem examination conducted at Bandarban Sadar Hospital, the OC added.聽聽聽
Condemning the incident, Hill Women Federation, Parbatya Chattagram Nari Sangha, Ganatantrik Juba Forum and Pahari Chhatra Parishad鈥攁ll affiliated with the United People鈥檚 Democratic Front鈥攊ssued a joint statement, demanding justice for the alleged rape and murder of Chingma Khyang and security for national minority women both in the plainsland and the hills.聽
In the statement, the four organisations alleged that it was being circulated on social media, citing police and health officials, that no evidence of rape was found in the preliminary inquest, which they condemned as an attempt to cover up the truth and shield the perpetrators.
The statement also said that repeated incidents of rape, murder and sexual violence against the national minority women in the CHT were a result of the abject failure of the state to ensure justice and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.聽
鈥楽uch crimes persist because the government and administration are using rape as a tool of perpetuating oppression on the national minorities in the region,鈥� it said.聽
National minority people under the banner of 鈥楤ikkhubdha Chhatra Samaj鈥� formed a human chain on the premises of Rangamati Shilpakala Academy. Chattogram University national minority students also held a protest rally at Shaheed Minar on the campus, demanding exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.
