The Bengali Muslim Officers have illegally been including the Muslim settlers in
the voter list and been conspiring to get the Muslim settlers elected at all levels
from the Union Council to the Bangladesh Parliament.

December 2002 - January 2003

As per the electoral rules, Mr. Dhurjadhan Tripura (a Jumma) of Ward No. 9 in Boalkhali area under the jurisdiction of Dighinala, Khagrachari District was nominated unanimously by all the Jumma voters of Ward No. 9 (there were no Muslim voters according to the Electoral Roll) as the only candidate for the membership of Boalkhali Union Council from the said Ward and filed his nomination papers to the Returning Officer (a Bengali Muslim) of Dighinala Upazilla. So, he was sure of winning the membership and was waiting for the election result eagerly. In the meantime, under the instructions of the Bangladesh Army, the Returning Officer conspired to elect Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi in place of Mr. Dhurjadhan Tripura.
Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi was a Muslim settler who was not qualified to be a voter and to participate in any elections in the CHT Region according to the CHT Peace Agreement and the CHT Regulation of 1900 . He illegally enrolled Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi and another 300 Muslim settlers on the voter register and endorsed the nomination papers of Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi as a candidate for the membership of Boalkhali Union Council from Ward No. 9 on 25 December 2002 despite the vehement protest by the Jumma People of the said Ward. The blatant and illicit manipulation by the Returning Officer notwithstanding, the number of the unlawful Muslim voters was still far less than that of the genuine Jumma voters. Therefore, Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi had no chance to defeat Mr. Dhurjadhan Tripura at all. Then with the help and guidance of the Returning Officer, Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi forged the signature of Mr. Dhurjadhan Tripura and submitted to the office of the Returning Officer a false candidature withdrawal letter in the name of Mr. Dhurjadhan Tripura just before the last date for withdrawal of
nomination papers. Needless to say, the Returning Officer declared Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi elected unopposed as Mr. Dhurjadhan Tripura had withdrawn his nomination papers to the astonishment of Mr. D. Tripura and the Jumma voters. On hearing the election result, Mr. D. Tripura went to the Returning Officer and testified that - (i) he did not withdraw his nomination papers and (ii) he neither wrote nor signed the withdrawal letter. Then he appealed to the Returning Officer to - (i) cancel the fraudulent election of Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi and (ii) declare him as the legitimate Member of Boalkhali Union Council. Not surprisingly, the Returning Officer refused to annul the Membership of Mohammed S. Gazi let alone punish a big fraudster like him for his forgery.

In protest, the angry Jumma People blockaded roads in the area on 12 January 2003. This action compelled the Deputy Commissioner (DC, also a Muslim Bengali) of Khagrachari District and also the Thana Nirbahi Officer of Dighinala Upazilla (TNO, also a Muslim Bengali) to come together and meet with the Jumma demonstrators. After learning about the said electoral fraud and official intrigue, the DC and the TNO assured the Jumma demonstrators that they would take all necessary actions against (i) Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi, (ii) the Returning Officer and his staff, for cheating Mr. Dhurjadhan Tripura and all the Jumma voters and People of Ward No. 9. Despite their assurances, they have not yet (i) revoked the membership of Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi, (ii) declared Mr. Dhurjadhan Tripura as the lawful Member of Boalkhali Union Council from Ward No. 9 and (iii) tried and punished Mohammed Shahidullah Gazi and the Returning Officer and his colleagues.

July-December 2002

1. Mohammed Taleb Ali, a leader of the Muslim settlers from Kabakhali Union Council of Dighinal Upazilla submitted a list of Muslim settlers as new voters to the Election Office at Dighinala. Needless to say, the Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO, a Bengali Muslim) readily included those Muslim settlers in the voter list without verification, without consulting the CHT Regional Council and in blatant violation of the CHT Peace Agreement and the CHT Regulation of 1900. Mr. Jatin Bikash Dewan (a Jumma), the Chairman of Kabakhali Union Council protested to the TNO of Dighinala Upazilla at the inclusion of the illegal voters in the electoral roll. But the TNO refused to exclude the fraudulent and unlawful Muslim voters from the voter list.

2. About five hundred Muslim settlers in Baghaichari Upazilla in Rangamati District have applied for their enrolment on the voter register to the TNO (a Muslim Bengali) of Baghaichari Upazilla who would certainly register them as new voters in contravention of the prevailing laws.

3. The Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) asked the Khaleda regime to deploy the Military during the recent Union Council election throughout the country in view of the ever deteriorating law and order situation after the BNP led Islamist coalition Government came to power. Surprisingly, the Khaleda Government rejected the practical suggestion of the BEC and entrusted the Police with the responsibility of maintaining security at every polling booth. More surprisingly, they agreed on the deployment of the Bangladesh Army and not the Police in the CHT Region on the grounds that the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 24th Infantry Division of the Bangladesh Army (stationed at Chittagong) was in charge of all matters relating to security, law and order, administration and so on in the CHT Region. Such a flagrant discrimination against the Jumma People confirmed that the extremely hostile Khaleda regime have reinforced the invalid Military Rule (which legally ceased to exist with the signing of the CHT Peace Agreement in 1997) in order to (i) enable the Bangladesh Army to settle the Muslim settlers in the CHT Region, (ii) empower the Bangladesh Army to register the Muslim settlers as voters in the CHT Region. (iii) authorise the Bangladesh Army to manipulate the candidature and votes in all elections by unfair means in favour of the Muslim settler candidates and against the Jumma candidates.

Sources:

1. The Charge of Genocide: Organizing Committee of the CHT Campaign, 1986
2. Jana Samhati Samiti Report