17 Tripura homes torched in Bandarban over land dispute

On the night before Christmas, miscreants set fire to 17 homes of members of Tripura community in Tongjiri Para under Saroai union at Lama upazila in Bandarban over alleged land dispute.

On Tuesday night, while the villagers were attending Christmas prayers in a nearby church at Tongjiri Para, miscreants set fire to 17 makeshift houses in the remote Purba Betachhara Para of Saroai union.

The blaze completely destroyed the homes, causing an estimated loss of Tk15 lakh, according to the affected residents.

Upon receiving news of the incident, Rupayan Dev, upazila nirbahi officer (acting), Enamul Haque, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of the local police, and Monirul Islam, project implementation officer, visited the site immediately.

Sources said 19 Tripura families from Lama and the neighboring Alikadam Upazila had started living in Purba Betachhara Para three months ago, naming the village accordingly.

Around 1am on Tuesday night, while these families were at a church in Tongjiri Para for Christmas prayers, unknown individuals set fire to their makeshift homes, leaving 17 houses completely destroyed.

Lama Police Station Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Enamul Haque stated that no formal complaints had been filed regarding the arson as of Wednesday afternoon, but action will be taken upon receiving a complaint.

After visiting the site, acting UNO Rupayan Dev said aid in the form of rice, lentils, oil, and blankets has been provided to the victims for their immediate needs.