PCJSS man shot dead in Bandarban

Another supporter of Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS-MN Larma) was shot dead by a group of armed men in Bandarban’s Sadar upazila on Thursday night, only two days after the killing of a member of the same party in the upazila.

Joymoni Tongchangya, 47, was a fuel wood trader and a resident of Bakichhara rubber garden area.

Quoting witnesses, police said Joymoni was having tea at a local tea stall around 7:30pm when some seven to eight armed men entered the stall and shot in his head and chest, killing him on the spot.

The miscreants were speaking in Arakan and Marma languages, police said, adding that Joymoni was a supporter of PCJSS.

The group also kidnapped a PCJSS member, Puladon Tongchangya, 40, from the upazila’s Rajbilla area following the murder, said Zakir Hossain Majumder, superintendent of police (SP) in Bandarban Puladon, adding that he was still traceless.

Earlier on Tuesday, Binoy Tongchangya, 35, a member of PCJSS was shot dead by a group of criminals in the upazila’s Taingkali Para area on Tuesday night.

Following the incidents, panic has spread among the hill people of the region.

Uchow Mong Marma, president of PCJSS-MN Larma (Bandarban unit), alleged that Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) of Myanmar, locally known as Mogh Bahini, was involved in the murders.

“Some ruling party men have been sheltering the ALP members and using them to harm the locals, especially the PCJSS men, since the December 30 election,” Uchow added.

SP Zakir said they had been trying to arrest the culprits, including the member of ALP.

“We have been urging the locals to give us information about the criminals, but they are in fear of their lives and don’t want to disclose the identity of the criminals”, he added.

No one was arrested in this connection.

Kwe Shwe Hla, president of Bandarban district Awami League, could not be reached over phone after several attempts.