Bhusanchhara massacre: 41 years on, families still seek justice
RANGAMATI CORRESPONDENT
Families of victims killed in the 1984 Bhusanchhara massacre have renewed their calls for justice, 41 years after the attack.
On 31 May 1984, 450 Bengali men, women, and children were killed in Bhusanchhara village, under Barkal Upazila in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
The killings were reportedly carried out by 125 armed members of the Shanti Bahini, the military wing of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS).
The attack, which took place between 4 and 8 in the morning, also left many injured and over a hundred homes burned.
To mark the anniversary, a prayer gathering and discussion meeting were held at the Farooq-e-Azam (R) Dakhil Madrasa in Bhusanchhara, organised by the local unit of the Parbatya Chattagram Chhatra Parishad (PCCP).
Relatives of the victims demanded prosecution of Major Rajesh, also known as Moni Swapan Dewan, who was allegedly the commander of the operation.
They argued that although Dewan received general amnesty under the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, the agreement should not prevent accountability for mass killings.
Dewan later served as a Member of Parliament and a state minister with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Speakers at the event said the peace accord did not offer impunity for serious criminal offences and that justice for massacres like Bhusanchhara remained overdue.
Following the discussion, attendees offered prayers at the victims’ graves.
Rangamati District Council member Minhaz Murshid, businessman Abu Bakr Siddique, and several relatives of the victims, among others, spoke at the event.
PCCP Barkal President Taslim Uddin presided over the discussion, while General Secretary Md Ismail Gazi moderated it.
In a separate initiative, local NGO Swapnochura Foundation provided free medical services and medicines to 500 people in memory of those killed.
