On 2 February 1992 Bangladesh army backed Muslim settlers killed at least 30 indigenous Chakma Buddhists at Mallya. 2 of them were Bijay Chakma and Samiran Chakma, the sons of Saral Kumar Chakma. Two bombs exploded on a river ferry at Mallya. The explosion killed a passenger and seriously injured the skipper of the ferry. The survivors swam ashore but the armed Muslim settlers were waiting for them and attacked the indigenous Chakma Buddhists - men women and children.

Bangladesh army and settlers massacre hundreds of indigenous people in Panchari

1. Prelude to Massacre

   In the early months of 1986, law enforcement personnel raided indigenous villages in Panchari, Khagrachari and Dighinala area and a little further south in Naniachar and Mohalchari area in efforts to force the inhabitants to move to joutha khamars (collective farms, concentration camps).

   Shanti Bahini declared its intention to obstruct polling in the Chittagong Hill Tracts at general elections due to be held throughout the country on 8 May 1986. Shanti Bahini had called upon the indigenous people to boycott the general election.

   On 29 April 1986, Shanti Bahini had attacked several Muslim settlements near the Indian border in Matiranga, Khagrachari district killing at least 38 Muslim settlers. 3 large groups of Shanti Bahini attacked BDR border outposts at Assalong, Chota Assalong and Taidong facing the border post of Bhagwantilla in India. This attack was the first of a number of operations launched by the Shanti Bahini over the next few months. Reprisals by Bangladesh army, BDR, Ansars and Muslim settlers began immediately after 29 April.

2. Massacre

   On 1 May 1986 and the following days, Bangladesh armed forces together with Muslim settlers entered a number of indigenous villages in Panchari and Khagrachari area and arbitrarily killed dozens of indigenous inhabitants. The villages include:

   1. Golakpratimachara
   2. Kalanal
   3. Soto Karmapara
   4. Shantipur
   5. Mirjibil
   6. Hetarachara (also known as Khedarachara Mukhpara)
   7. Pujgang
   8. Logang
   9. Hathimuktipara
   10. Sarveswarpara
   11. Napidapara
   12. Dewan Bazar

   According to the accounts of eye witnesses from 6 villages, 16 named individuals are reported to have died, although many eye witnesses also recounted having seen dead bodies without being able to identify them or know the precise circumstances in which they died.

   The accounts by the indigenous inhabitants of different villages are entirely consistent in accusing members of the armed forces and other law enforcement personnel of arbitririly and deliberately killing unarmed indigenous people. These villagers were then assaulted by Muslim settlers who were often well armed.

   Few villagers are able to identify the units to which the military and para-military forces involved in the attacks belonged, except to note that they were BDR men, Bangladesh army or Ansars. According to one source, military personnel included troops from the 19th East Bengal Regiment, Panchari Army zone.

   Some eye witnesses allege that after entering the indigenous villages, armed forces ordered the indigenous inhabitants to assemble on open ground, men separate from women, away from their huts. While the villagers were held in this way their settlements were set on fire by Muslim settlers. Bangladesh armed forces then opened fire randomly on the groups of villagers who attempted to escape.

   Part of this process was described by a woman from Mirjibil, about a mile from Panchari, who was witness to the killing of another woman, aged in her 70s:

   "As soon as the raid on my village began, people (other vitlagers) began to shout asking everybody to leave the village. But before most people could gather their senses the soldiers and the Ansars had come. They were followed by several hundred Muslim settlers. They immediately began to ransack the village. The soldiers asked the men and the women to stand separately. One old woman Phoidebi, had trouble getting up and joining the group outside. A soidier shot her at close range"

   The unlawful killing of Phoidebi was also independently described by several other villagers from Mirjibil.

   An account by a villager from Dewan Bazar, near the Indian border describes indiscriminate shooting by law enforcement personnel:

   "On the morning of 2 May, the troops and the Ansars raided our village. There was great panic and commotion and several people were fortunate enough to slip away. But most were in the village. The officer in charge, perhaps a captain, collected all the men outside on the ground and the troops began to beat up everybody with rifle butts. Meanwhile the Muslims had begun to burn the village and rape our women. Suddenly the troops began to fire at us and we all ran. I saw three or four people falling but had no time or presence of mind to see who had got hit."

   A second eye witness from Dewan Bazar similarly believed at least 4 people had died:

   "On 2 May soldiers came to my village and the officer-in-charge first of all collected the village elders outside. He accused them of harbouring Shanti Bahini and of being in contact with the Indian intelligence agents. Our elders denied this but the troops abused them and began to beat them with rifle butts. Soon they collected all of us men outside on open ground and began to shoot as we all ran. I saw at least four of the villagers falling, but I could not recognise them in the confusion and hurry to get away."

   A Buddhist monk from the temple at Kalanal described persistent harassment of indigenous villagers:

   "For many months now soldiers have been regularly visiting us and slaughtering cows in our shrine. They always said that if we did not agree to this (conversion to Islam) they will come one day and kill us. On the morning of 1 May they carried out their threat by escorting a group of 200 to 300 settlers, some of whom were dressed in the uniform of home guards, to our village and began their depredations by attacking Buddha Vihar (the temple). Most of us were, however able to flee but soldiers pounced on Purnananda Bhikku (one of the monks) and after beating him with rifle butts handed him over to the Muslims who threw him into the shrine which was by now on fire. He died. Later when I met more people from my village they said that two young girls of the village had been raped mercilessly by troops and Muslims and then killed with bayonets."

   A villager from Kalanal gave following account to Amnesty International:

   "At first when the army came to our village they just abused us and told us to move to open ground so that the village could be searched for hidden weapons and Shanti Bahini people. But they did not carry out any search and instead told the Muslims to join them in attacking the Buddha Vihar. It was set on fire and while the Bhikkus were running away one Purnananda was thrown into the fire. I saw him burn to death. I also saw how Jayanta Kumar and his two small children were shot dead. I don't think many others died in my village."

   Jayanta Kumar's sons were called Sunnanta and Kripachandra and were aged eight and two and a half respectively.

   Several people were killed at soto Karmapara. A victim describes his ordeal to Amnesty International:

   "At 4pm on Thursday 1 May a small group of soldiers (30 to 40) accompanied by a large group of Muslim settlers, many of whom carried firearms and wore uniforms of home guards, attacked our village. They began to burn our village and kill people indiscriminately. In front of the Buddha Vihar I saw them kill Ramesh Chandra and Chandra Lekha. I also saw several others die including Motilal's nother and Buktidhar. I saw several other bodies but could not identify (them) because of the fear and rush to get away."

   The death of Buktidhar Chakma, Secretary of the Panchari Union Parishad (council) was also recounted by other villagers as well as the killing of Motilal's mother who is believed to be Roopvati Chakma, aged approximately 80:

   "On 1 May evening a group of BDR accompanied by 100 Muslim settlers, some of them wearing uniforms and riding trucks, raided our village. The army men were firing heavily into the air to scare and the officer was shouting that he had come to destroy all the dogs supporting Shanti Bahini. While the soldiers stood on guard the officer ordered the Muslims to start slaughtering the people. I myself witnessed the death of the following:

   1. Motilal's mother
   2. Sira's parents (undetstood to be Ramesh Chandra and Chandra Lekha)
   3. Buktidhar
   4. Sangha Sharma's parents.

   Besides these I am sure, more people died in the village but I was too scared to pause and see."

   A woman from Soto Karmapara who had taken a young girl with her as she fled stated:

   "When the soldiers attacked our village it felt like the end of the world. They were shooting people at random and I saw the death of seven people including Buktidhar, Motilal's mother and the parents of this girl called Nimal and Nakori Chakma (sic.) They were both shot by home guards at close range while this girl was watching. I just picked up this girl and ran from the village."

   Similar accounts of events on 1 and 2 May collected by Amnesty International relate to Hetarachara, where some 20 people were killed. Golokpratimachara where the death of Surjabala, a 45 year old woman has been recounted by several interviewees. Shantipur, where 3 female menbers of the family of the headman, among several others were ki11ed.

   Other testimonies also indicate that raids by law enforcement personnel continued in the Panchari area on 7 May. 2 indigenous settlements were attacked on this date, at Pujgang and Logang. A school teacher from Pujgang described the killings of seven people from his village:

   "On 7 May a large group of Bangladeshi troops led by a captain and accompanied by Muslim settlers, armed with all kinds of weapons including a few shot guns, entered our village. The army officer threatened the whole village with destruction if we did not tell him where Shanti Bahini people were hiding. But since we did not know anything about it, we said nothing. At this stage the army officer told his troops to separate young girls and boys in the village. Immediately the soldiers and Muslim settlers pounced on the girls. Meena Chakma, a 15 or l6 year old girl who was a student at Pujgang Model High School, was raped and killed with a boyonet in front of the village. After a while, however, the soldiers began to kill people at random and I was a witness to the death of seven people as I was fleeing from the village. I recognise with absolute certainty the following:"

   1. Kamalakant Chakma
   2. Jeebanbahu Chakma
   3. Lakhanvikas Chakma
   4. Mrs Kittadhawani, wife of Kaliya Chakma
   5. Onita Chakma
   6. Dhaurmani Chakma.

   At Logang, the following account was given by one villager whose back still clearly showed the wound which he describes:

   "On the morning of 7 May I was standing on the periphery of the village with four of my cousins when we saw an army column approaching our village. Our first reaction was to flee in panic and raise an alarm in the village. In great panic people began to come out of their houses and fled. But they did not have much luck because there was a column of 15 to 20 soldiers coming from the other side as well. Within a few minutes they had surrounded the village. They were making announcements in Bengali over the public address system that everyone should come out and assemble on the open ground outside the village. The officer in charge shouted at us saying 'All of you are Shanti Bahini sympathisers. We will teach you a proper lesson this time so that you don't harbour the Bahini dogs any more.' He separated us youngsters from the rest and asked his soldiers to beat us up and kill us if we did not say where Shanti Bahini people were hiding. One of the soldiers also heated a knife in one of the huts and branded my back with it. I screamed and felt unconscious. By that time a group of Muslim settlers had also joined in with the army. The officer ordered them to start killing men but to take away women so that at least the next generation of Chakmas will behave like good Bangladeshis. In the commotion, I was left there for dead and was able to sneak away later. While I was running away I saw at least 20 bodies. Most of these had bullet injuries. I lost seven to eight members of my family namely cousins and uncles."

3. Killed in Massacre

   The list of killed victims is prepared by Amnesty International after interviewing the refugees in Tripura, India.

   1. Ratna Kanti Chakma (35) of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   2. Purnajyoti Chakma (10), son of Ratna Kanti Chakma of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   3. Siringya Chakma of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   4. Briddhijyoti Chakma, son of Siringya Chakma of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   5. Nyanjyoti Chakma, son of Siringya Chakma of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   6. Satish Chandra Chakma, son of Siringya Chakma of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   7. Sushila Chakma (50) of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   8. Prabhadu Chakma (55) of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   9. Leby Chakma (68) of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   10. Dushari Chakma of Hetarachara/Khedarachara
   11. Daughter-in-law of Dushari Chakma
   12. Six-year-old grandson of Dushari Chakma
   13. Three-year old granddaughter of Dushari Chakma
   14. Bana Kumari Chakma, wife of village headman of Shantipur, near Panchari
   15. Maloti Chakma, daughter of village headman of Shantipur, near Panchari
   16. Bana Shobha Chakma, daughter-in-law of village headman of Shantipur, near Panchari
   17. Malabirani Chakma of Pujgang
   18. One-year-old child of Malabirani Chakma
   19. Daughter of Ananda Mohan Chakma of Pujgang
   20. Rachna Chakma (12), Pujgang
   21. Tribhuyja Chakma (30)
   22. Fulranjan Chakma (12), of Panchari Pilot Farm, near Soto Karmpara
   23. Madan Karbari Tripura

   These 23 people killed are in addition to the 15 individuals named in the extracts from testimonies provided to Amnesty International.

Since the beginning of May, several thousand indigenous people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts crossed over into India fleeing massacres and extra judicial executions.

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