Onslaught of Quantum’s unabated grabbing on indigenous land in Bangladesh

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

Jhum cultivation is what Reng Ken Mro did for a living until recently he has lost his land in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh to the relentless grabbing by one influential Quantum Foundation.

Now in his fifties, he is compelled to think what else he can do to feed his family of six. 

Like his, 138 other families have become landless in seven villages – Champa Jiri Mro Para, Tonka Jiri Tripura para, Dekichhara para, Bethchhara Tripura para, Rajaram para, Chintai Boro para and Goyalmara para, — of Daluchhari and Bamu mouza of the upazila.

“Quantum grabbed our Jhum land and it repeatedly gives us death threat to leave our ancestral village. Following their pressure five families already evicted from our Para (village)”, said Reng Ken Mro of Champa Jiri Mro Para (village).

Indigenous people mostly depend on jhum cultivation and forest resources for their livelihood in CHT of Bangladesh.

“We are helpless. When we protest against Quantum, we face death threats,” said Long Ki Mro, 50 another victim.

Asked why they did not seek help from police, and local administration villagers said they live hand to mouth and will be implicated in false cases if protest land grabbing.

Abdul Halim, former union parishod member of Sarai union said Quantum Foundation is so influential that we feel fear to protest against them while they grabbed around 6000 acres of Jhum land in the upazilla managing district administration.

 “Quantum grabbed our Jhum land, and fenced our para .We are living a miserable life. We don’t know how we will survive as we have no land for cultivation,” said Long Thoi Mro, 72, karbari of Champa Jiri Mro para.

Earlier, Johon Tripura, former headman of Daluchhari mouza said “Quantum Foundation occupied around 2500 acres of Jhum land in my mouza while most of the villagers of my mouza are seriously suffering following the relentless grabbing”.

“Quantum lodged a case against three of us including me when we protested. Later we contacted with district administration several times but in vain as they did not pay heed to us”, he said.

“Quantum established a school in 2000 in Lama upazilla. Later they started grabbing indigenous peoples’ land in the area”, he added.

From 2000-2017, Quantum Foundation, its founder Shahid Al Bukhari and his wife Nahar Al Bukhari, grabbed around 5,500 acres of Jhum land in Daluchhari and Bamu mouza of Bandarban’s Lama upazila said, Anwar Al Hoque, former programme officer of Quantum Foundation.

“In 2000, with the help of Md Mohsin Ali Sardar, former deputy commissioner of Bandarban, Shaheed Al Bukhari and his family applied for forty decimals of khas land as landless people with fake information”, said Anwar.

“Later the application was refused and he bought 10 decimal of land at Kashem Para area in Bandarban Sadar upazila with fake documents managing the district administration”, he added.

At present, Bukhari who is actively engaged in the forced grabbing of lands belonging to indigenous communities and local Bangalees has around 1800 acres of land in his own name while his wife has around 60 acres of land in Bandarban, he also said.

This journalist obtained documents of around 700 acres of land which were recorded in the name of Bukari and his wife with the help of unscrupulous officials of Bandarban district administration.

Maisha Tabassum, a top official of Quantum Foundation declined to make any comment in this regard saying, “Bukhari also doesn’t want to talk with journalist on land grabbing issues.”

A gazette notification published on August 3, 1989 states that no land shall be transferred to a person who is not a resident of the hill district.

And the 1997 CHT peace accord defines a permanent resident. “‘Non-tribal permanent residents’ shall mean a person who is not a tribal but has legal land in the hill district and generally lives in the hill district at a specific address.”

The illegal purchase of jhum land has continued unabated managing the local administrations, headmen and ruling party men.

Meanwhile, Kwe Shwe Hla, chairman of Bandarban Hill District Council (BHDC) said “We did not give any approval to Quantum Foundation while they are continuously grabbing indigenous jhum land defying law”.

After several times attempt Bandarban deputy commissioner Shah Mujahid Uddin didn’t receive the call.

Since the signing of the peace accord, thousands acres of land were grabbed in Lama, Alikadom and Nykkhongchhari– sub districts of Bandarban by influential land grabbers while around 250 indigenous families of 20 villages of the district have been displaced from their ancestral land, said Jumlian Amlai, Bandarban chapter unit president of Parbatya Chattagram Forest and Land Rights Protection Movement.

According to Article 10 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, “Indigenous peoples shall not be forci-bly removed from their lands or territories. No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement on just and fair compensa-tion and, where possible, with the option of return.”

Article 14 of the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Conven-tion, 1989 by International Labour Organization, which states, “Gov-ernments shall take steps as necessary to identify the lands which the peoples concerned traditionally occupy, and to guarantee effec-tive protection of their rights of ownership and possession.”