Chakma tribals observe 'Black Day' against 1947 'mistake'

AGARTALA: The Chakma tribals of northeast India and Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeast Bangladesh on Saturday observed a "Black Day" to protest the inclusion of non-Muslim dominated CHT in Bangladesh during partition in 1947. The Chakma leaders spearheading the protest demanded Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for their fellow tribals in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Chakma National Council of India (CNCI) led the agitation in four northeastern states - Tripura, Mizoram, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh - where approximately four lakh Chakma tribals, mostly Buddhist, have been living for decades.The Chakma and nine other tribal clans in CHT had wished to be a part of India because of their Hindu and Buddhist identities. Pakistan, however, did not allow it to happen. Between August 17 and August 20, 1947, the Indian flag was flying atop the royal palace in Rangamati. Later, it was brought down by the Pakistani army. The Chakma king, Tridiv Roy, had abdicated his title as Raja of the Chakma circle in the CHT after the 1971 Bangladesh war, and left the new country for Pakistan, which he made his home for the rest of his years.
The Chakma leaders claimed that they have been reduced to a minority community now as Bangladeshis flocked to Chittagong after the 1971 war. Back in 1947, the Chakmas constituted 97.5% of Chittagong. "Since 1964 thousands of Chakma people have migrated to India following persecution in Chittagong and settled in Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. We have got a district council in Mizoram under schedule VI. We have also received citizenship rights and in Tripura," Kollol Chakma, a Chakma leader, said. However, he added that the Chakma people in Arunachal Pradesh are the victims of discrimination and are not even getting citizenship rights.
Chakma leader Romel Chakma said that both in erstwhile East Pakistan as well as in present Bangladesh, the tribal population in CHT have been suffering immensely. "With forced and government-sponsored resettling of the Muslim population from the plain lands by successive Bangladeshi governments, the tribals, who constituted 97.5% of the population in 1947 have now been reduced to a minority. Their land is being taken away, people are being killed and tortured frequently while womenfolk are also being persecuted very often," he claimed.