The Hill Women鈥檚 Federation and Parbatya Chattogram Nari Sangha held a mass rally in Rangamati on Monday, protesting at the dismissal of the disappearance case of Chittagong Hill Tracts-based rights activist Kalpana Chakma by a Rangamati court on April 23.
About a thousand ethnic individuals took part in the rally, which began at Baghaichari upazila鈥檚 Sajek Banani Gate at 9:00am.
The protesters burned effigies of those involved in her abduction, according to a press release.聽
Addressing the rally, speakers highlighted that women in the CHT are subjected to regular incidents of torture, killings, and kidnappings, with Kalpana鈥檚 abduction in 1996, allegedly by security forces, serving as a continuation of these atrocities.
Noting that rather than delivering justice, the court dismissed the case, the speakers refused to accept the court鈥檚 order for now and ever.聽
Sajek union parishad chairman Atulal Chakma urged everyone to come together and unite in the pursuit of justice for Kalpana.
The organising secretary of the Women鈥檚 Hill Federation鈥檚 Baghaichari upazila unit, Bishakha Chakma, presided over the rally, while Women鈥檚 Hill Federation member Aparna Chakma conducted it.聽
Kalpana, an organising secretary of the Hill Women鈥檚 Federation, was 23 years old when, on June 12, 1996, she was forcibly taken from her village home at gunpoint along with her two brothers at New Lallyaghona, Baghaichari, Rangamati, allegedly by security forces from a nearby army camp.
Though her brothers managed to escape, Kalpana was taken by the abductors.
Kalpana鈥檚 brothers claimed to have identified at least three of the abductors 鈥� Lieutenant Ferdous of Kojoichari army camp and two Village Defence Party personnel, Nurul Haq and Saleh Ahmed.
Subsequently, Kalpana鈥檚 brother, Kalindi Kumar Chakma, filed a case against the perpetrators, but justice continued to elude the family.
Over the years, the case underwent investigations by 38 officers, who failed to submit any report.
Later in 2016, the then superintendent of police of Rangamati, Sayed Tariqul Hassan, as the 39th investigation officer, submitted the final report.
The victim鈥檚 family filed a no-confidence petition challenging the final report.