The blanket acceptance the present military backed caretaker government has enjoyed is fraying at the edges. The uprooting of small shops and other so

The blanket acceptance the present military backed caretaker government has enjoyed is fraying at the edges. The uprooting of small shops and other so-called “illegal occupiers” in the drive against corruption has left a lot of people disgruntled. The total suspension of political activity, as I wrote earlier, is also troubling. Unaccountability and arbitrary behaviour is not going to do the current dispensation any favours. In this context, news from the CHT - a special area in every way - needs careful consideration. And this morning, an email flew in from CHT News with some disturbing news. I quote in full.

Appeal for your kind action

Recently, using the state of the emergency, the military forces have increased their suppressive actions against the indigenous Jumma people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Particularly the joint forces led by army have been arresting PCJSS (Parbartya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti) and PCP (Hill Students’ Council) activists charging them in connection with terrorist activities. To materialise their allegation, the joint forces have been showing arm recovery from arrestees’ possession putting their (army) arm and lodging false arm case against them. On the other, though the government is conducting drive to capture the corrupt politicians and godfathers, but arrest of PCJSS leaders is fully politically motivated as because there is no such allegation and even case against the arrested PCJSS leaders. As prevailing emergency in the country, the Jumma people could not organise protests against these suppressive actions. For instances-