Seventeen houses belonging to the Christian Tripura community in Bandarban were destroyed in an alleged arson attack early on December 24. According to the victims, unidentified miscreants set fire to the houses in Notun Tongjhiri Tripura Para of Sarai Union, Lama Upazila, at around 12:30 am, fleeing immediately after. At the time of the attack, the residents had gone to another village for prayers and Christmas celebrations, as their area lacks a church.
Locals reported that 17 of the 19 houses in the community were reduced to ashes. The Tripura community has inhabited the area for a long time and planted trees in the village.
Gungamani Tripura, one of the victims, lamented, “Our houses have been completely burned to ashes. We couldn’t save anything. Today is supposed to be the happiest day of the year for us. I never imagined such a thing would happen on Christmas.” He demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.
Citing Bandarban police, the Chief Administrative Press Wing stated that law enforcement officers had been sent to the site. Raids are being conducted to apprehend the culprits, and a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed regarding the incident.
The statement further mentioned that the deputy commissioner and the district police chief would visit the affected village the following morning.
Sarai Union Parishad Chairman Md Idris confirmed hearing about the arson attack and the destruction of at least 17 houses.
During his visit to the affected area, acting Lama Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ruppayan Deb urged the victims to submit a written complaint. He provided immediate relief, including one blanket and a sack of rice for each family, and pledged to consult the deputy commissioner and the upazila project implementation officer for further assistance.
Md Enamul Haque Bhuiyan, Inspector (Investigation) of Lama Police Station, assured that law enforcement is working to identify and prosecute the criminals following a thorough investigation.