Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government fell due to the student movement in Bangladesh on August 5. Young students across the country expressed their demands for state reform and their dreams for the nation through graffiti on concrete walls. Various rights and justice slogans appeared, including in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, home to the country's tribal communities. Kalpana Chakma's name emerged prominently among hill students, who also voiced their demands on social media.
Kalpana Chakma, the organizing secretary of the Hill Women's Federation, an affiliate of the Shanti Bahini (an armed group in the hill regions), had quickly demonstrated her political, movement, and leadership skills. She disappeared from her home in Lailaghona, Baghaichhari Upazila, Rangamati, on June 11, 1996. The next day, Kalpana's elder brother, Kalindi Kumar Chakma, filed a kidnapping case at Baghaichhari Police Station. However, the Rangamati court accepted the final report submitted by the police on April 23, 2024 stating that no evidence of the incident was found. By accepting the report, the court ordered the case to be closed, bringing the 28-year-long case to an end.
Kalpana's family members allege that she was taken away under the guidance of a lieutenant-rank officer of the Disciplinary Force. Kalindi Kumar Chakma, the plaintiff in the case and Kalpana's brother, has repeatedly raised these allegations in his deposition. Although some also suggested she may have voluntarily disappeared.
On June 12, 1996, the day after the incident, a joint press release signed by Mrigang Khisa and Bordika Chakma, representing the Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) and the Hill Women's Federation (HWF), affiliates of the Shanti Bahini, stated that "a group of Bengali infiltrators attacked the Jumma women's organization of Greater Hill Chittagong, armed with weapons." It further mentioned that "Kalpana Chakma, organizing secretary of the Central Committee of the Hill Women's Federation, was forcibly abducted from her home, and her two elder brothers were shot."
The following day, on June 13, a joint statement from PCP, Pahari Gana Parishad (PGP), and HWF claimed that "10-15 troops, led by Lt. Ferdous (17 Bengal), entered the home of Kalpana Chakma, organizer of the Hill Women's Federation, along with her two brothers, in Lailaghona village, and abducted her. At one point, her brothers managed to escape, and Lt. Ferdous's ankle was injured."
Again, a press release dated June 14, 1996, mentioned that Kalpana Chakma was forcibly abducted from her house by some "terrorist jawans" of the army at gunpoint, armed with automatic weapons.
A memorandum sent to the Rangamati District Commissioner on June 16 stated that 8-9 army personnel, led by Lt. Ferdous and some VDP members, including PC Nurul Haque and Saleh Ahmed, forcibly open the door and abducted Kalpana Chakma and her two brothers.
Press releases and memorandums contained conflicting information. With the change of time, place, and circumstances, even the identity of the abductors shifted. An investigation into the incident began, and on August 8, 1996, at a press conference by the Bangladesh Human Rights Commission in Dhaka, it was revealed that Kalpana Chakma was staying in a place called 'Sukra,' 4 miles east of the Gangachra subdivision in the Indian state of Tripura.
On August 9, 1996, various national and regional dailies quoted the Commission of Inquiry as saying that the security forces were not involved in Kalpana Chakma's abduction or her subsequent whereabouts.
The Commission of Inquiry produced video cassettes, recorders, and various documentary evidence, including testimony from numerous tribal members, Bengalis, military, and civilian officials. Interviews were conducted with Kalpana Chakma's family members, including her mother Madhavi Chakma, cousin Phimmoy Chakma, neighbor Krishnamohan Chakma, Shanti Bahini member Hero Chakma, and others such as Nishi Kumar, Debashish of the local PCP, and Satish Karbari, a neighbor from the area.
At a press conference, Kalpana Chakma's mother recounted that at around 2 a.m. on June 11, 1996, 10-12 armed men wearing lungis approached their house, calling for Kalpana from a distance before breaking the door and entering. Shortly after, Kalpana, along with her elder brother Kalendra Kumar Chakma, was taken away by the armed men. As they left, Kalpana’s mother heard two gunshots. About two hours later, Kalpana's two brothers returned home unharmed, shouting "ma, ma," and told her that Kalpana had been taken away. Kalpana's mother stated that based on the voices she heard, she assumed the armed men were military personnel, though she had never seen Lt. Ferdous. During the investigation, none of the neighbors could provide information about the disappearance of Kalpana Chakma, nor had they heard any gunshots that night. The Commission also reported that Kalpana Chakma’s mother had testified that Kalpana had contacted her twice after the disappearance, with the last contact occurring on August 1, 1996. When asked why she or her family did not alert the neighborhood or express concern on the night Kalpana Chakma was taken, Kalpana’s mother remained silent.
It is important to note that two of Kalpana's brothers lived within a hundred yards of her house. One of these brothers lived near a bathing place where Kalpana was allegedly shot and where she reportedly screamed. However, neither brother heard any gunshots or screams that night. They only learned of the incident the next morning.
Additionally, on the night before the election, many civilians on election duty were stationed at a school 600-700 yards from Kalpana Chakma's house, yet none of them reported hearing any gunshots. This raised doubts about whether any shooting occurred at all, leading some to suggest that there may have been no abduction, but rather a disappearance.
On May 21, 2010, the investigating officer of Baghaichhari police station presented the first investigation report to the court of the Sub-Inspector of Police, Rangamati. Kalpana's family questioned the findings of this investigation. In 2016, as the 39th investigating officer in the case, the Superintendent of Police in Rangamati submitted the final report to the court. The plaintiff again appealed against this report. After nearly eight years of legal proceedings, the court finally registered the case on April 23, 2024, dismissing the plaintiff's grievance. Despite being investigated by 39 officers, none found evidence of the involvement of the accused suspects.
According to another source, during the post-incident investigation, the police did not find any of Kalpana Chakma's clothes or books in her room. An unnamed investigator remarked that if Kalpana had been forcibly taken, it would be normal for her belongings to remain at home.
It was also reported that Khudiram Chakma, Kalpana's brother, voted in the parliamentary elections on June 12, 1996. Investigators questioned how this could be considered normal behavior, given that his sister had been kidnapped the night before, and there had been an attempt on their lives.
In the 1996 National Assembly elections in Rangamati district, hill organizations fielded Bijay Ketan Chakma, a member of the Central Presidium of the Hill Constituent Assembly, as an independent candidate with the symbol of the butterfly (Prajapati Marka). These organizations directed their affiliated groups, the PCP, PGP, and HWF, to campaign for him.
On the other hand, in Rangamati, the Awami League nominated Dipankar Talukder, who was supported by many of the minority ethnic groups and Bengali people, including the Civic Committee. Kalpana Chakma was campaigning for the Awami League, despite her organization's backing of Bijay Ketan. This created factional conflict, and Kalpana Chakma was threatened by members of the PCP, PGP, and HWF to stop her campaigning. It is reported that around this time, hill militants abducted approximately 35 Awami League supporters throughout the hill region, both before and after the elections. There were also claims in the press that Kalpana Chakma had been kidnapped and killed.
According to a local journalist, Kalpana Chakma had a romantic relationship with Arun Vikas Chakma, who was involved with the Indian National Congress in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Arun visited Kalpana's house several times, and their relationship grew. However, Kalpana's family disapproved of the relationship. Faced with threats from the Shanti Bahini and the pull of her romantic relationship, Kalpana allegedly fled to India with Arun. It was suggested that the abduction was staged with the help of some well-wishers from the Shanti Bahini and the PCP, leading to what some have called a voluntary disappearance.
A local news portal claimed that a member of the investigation committee had been able to contact Kalpana Chakma in Arunachal, India. The investigator wrote a letter inviting her to return to Bangladesh, to which Kalpana reportedly replied, expressing interest but voicing fears of being killed by her own community if she returned. A copy of the letter was even released, dated September 20, 1999, from Arunachal. In the letter, Kalpana mentioned that she had become a mother about a month earlier and explained that she had been forced to leave her homeland due to family disapproval.
A former army officer, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that the JSS (Jana Samhati Samiti) used Kalpana's case to cover their defeat in the elections and create unrest in the hills. He stated that they were demanding the removal of army camps from the hill regions and wanted to portray atrocities to strengthen their cause. The officer also claimed that Lt. Ferdous, a young army officer who had led several successful operations against the Shanti Bahini and PCP, was implicated by them because of his successes. Lt. Ferdous had become a target due to the threat he posed to the Shanti Bahini, and there were several attempts to discredit and remove him from the area.
This narrative is supported by a publication titled Pahar's Ruddhakantha from 2006, released by the Hill Women's Federation. The publication quoted Santhu Larma, saying that he had dismissed the Kalpana abduction and the Logang massacre as "controversial issues" during an exchange with journalists after surrendering arms at Khagrachari Stadium on February 10, 1998.
Golam Zakaria, BOB Post
