No trace of 2 hill women leaders

Two leaders of Hill Women's Federation (HWF) have been abducted from Kutukchhari area of Rangamati Sadar upazila.

The victims are Manti Chakma, central general secretary of HWF, and Doya Sona Chakma, general secretary of Rangamati unit HWF, an associate organisation of United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF).

Protesting the abduction and demanding release of the two, HWF, Pahari Chhatra Parishad and Democratic Youth Forum jointly called a dawn-to-dusk road and waterway blockade for tomorrow in Rangamati and Khagrachhari districts, said press releases of HWF and UPDF.

Around 9:30am on Sunday, criminals attacked the house of Dharma Sing Chakma, president of Democratic Youth Forum's Rangamati unit, in Kutukchhari and he suffered bullet injuries as the criminals opened fire, said a press release signed by Niron Chakma, information and publicity secretary of UPDF central committee.

Then the two HWF leaders -- Manti and Doya -- were kidnapped by newly formed group UPDF Democratic, also known as Mukhosh Bahini. The abductors took Manti and Doya to a jungle at Kutukchhari, said the release.

HWF, Ghilachhari Nari Nirjatan Protirodh Committee and Parbatya Chattagram Nari Sangha protested the attack and abduction immediately after the incident by blocking Rangamati-Khagrachhari link road.

Ruposhi Chakma, president of HWF Rangamati unit, said lives of women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region are becoming more insecure day by day. The government should ensure their security. “We are now very worried over the lives of our two leaders.”

Earlier on December 5, Anoti Ranjan Chakma, a former UP member and a UPDF supporter, was shot dead in Rangamati's Naniarchar upazila. On December 16, Anol Bikash Chakma alias Pluto Chakma, 42, a leader of Bandhukbhanga union unit UPDF, was killed.

Besides, UPDF central leader Mithun Chakma, 45, was shot dead at Sluice Gate area in Khagrachhari Sadar on January 4. Another UPDF member Natun Moni Chakma, 40, was stabbed to death on March 11.  

The UPDF alleged that the UPDF Democratic was behind those killings and abductions.

But The Daily Star could not contact the UPDF Democratic, a splinter faction of the UPDF, which spilt in December last year.

The HWF also blamed the UPDF Democratic for kidnapping its two leaders.

Contacted yesterday, Sattya Jit Barua, officer-in-charge of Rangamati Kowtali Police Station, said though they did not receive any complaint in this regard, they were raiding to rescue the two HWF leaders.