report in The Daily Star, June 13, 2023
Noted citizens demanded the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate the abduction of Kalpana Chakma, a female leader in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, who disappeared 27 years ago.
They raised the demand from a rally in front of National Museum at Shahbagh yesterday, organised under the banner of indigenous women, students and youth organisations.
In the rally, Dr Khairul Chowdhury, a teacher of Dhaka University’s sociology department, said it has been 27 years since the abduction of Kalpana Chakma and as many as 39 investigation committees have failed to uncover the truth behind her disappearance.
“The time for setting up an enquiry commission is now. If we can set up a public inquiry commission to prosecute the war criminals of Bangladesh, why cannot we investigate the case of Kalpana Chakma?” he said.
Kalpana, who was the organising secretary of Hill Women’s Federation (HWF), was abducted from her home at remote Niulalaghona village in Rangamati’s Baghaichhari upazila in the early hours of June 12, 1996, a year before the signing of the CHT Peace Accord.
Kalpana’s family filed an abduction complaint against some security officers working in Rangamati. However, the investigation never made any progress.
“There was no need for so many investigation committees. There were eyewitnesses of the abduction. But the state did not want the truth to come out,” said advocate Luna Nur, a member of Communist Party of Bangladesh.
Tuli Lavanya, a member of the Bangladesh Adivasi Women’s Network, said, “We are surprised that even after 52 years of independence, we are not seeing fair trial and justice in the country. If the government of a free country has goodwill, it takes no time to catch the culprits of any incident. We will not accept this culture of impunity.”
They demanded full implementation of the CHT Agreement and demanded that the state ensure the safety of indigenous women in the hills and the plains.
The rally was conducted by Bangladesh Adivasi Chhatra Sangam Parishad President Alik Mree.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/wheres-kalpana-chakma-3344816
