Five abducted indigenous students of Chittagong University finally got released in Khagrachhari today (Thursday). Local police superintendent (SP) Arefin Juwel has confirmed this information to the mass media.
Gunmen abducted the hapless students and an auto-rickshaw driver on the morning of April 16 in the Giriful area of the hill district.
After the incident, the Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) claimed that members of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) carried out the abduction.
The students were abducted while returning from the Chittagong Hill Tract after attending the traditional Biju festival.
The abductees are Aldrin Tripura, a first-year student at the Institute of Fine Arts; Maitrimoy Chakma, a first-year student at the Institute of Fine Arts; Dibbyo Chakma, a first-year student in the Department of Drama; Rishon Chakma, a first-year student in the Department of International Relations; and Langgi Mro, a first-year student in the Department of Zoology.
Ribek Chakma, information and publication secretary of the CU unit PCP, issued a press statement accusing the UPDF of its involvement in the abduction.
However, Angya Marma, Khagrachhari district coordinator of the UPDF (Prosit group), outright denied the allegation, saying: “We have always opposed fratricidal conflict and internal violence. We had no involvement in this incident. Linking the UPDF to it is part of a conspiracy.”