The All India Chakma Students' Union (AICSU) on Monday sought the Centre's intervention to end "repeated" assault on students belonging to the minority Chakma community in Mizoram's Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV), including an attack on a Class XII student in Serchip district on Thursday.
The student body alleged that Nolin Bikash Chakma, a Class XII student of JNV, Thenzawl in Serchip district was brutally attacked by some Mizo students in its hostel on Thursday. It said four such attacks on Chakma students have been reported since 2016 in the JNV situated in Mizo dominated area. Nolin was called to a room by a group of Mizo students and was attacked with iron rods, it said while releasing three photographs of the victim showing visible injury marks on his body.
The student body said two Class XI students, Poribotan Chakma and Prem Jyoti Chakma were brutally beaten up with bamboo, wood, and belt by a group of Mizo students at JNV Thenzawl on November 14, 2016 while Sunil Chakma became a victim in the same JNV on October 12 that year. Jumjum Chakma, another student was also beaten up similarly on February 8, 2016.
"Chakma students are being forced to study in an atmosphere of intimidation and torture, and these incidents have left deep psychological scars on the minds of the Chakma youths. The AICSU has requested the Minister of Human Resource Development and Chairman of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti as well as the Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to seriously consider its long standing demand for establishment of a JNV school in Chakma inhabited areas in western belt of Mizoram," AICSU said in a statement on Monday.
"We demanded that the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) should immediately send a central team to investigate not only the particular case of brutal torture but also maladministration of the JNV Thenzawl and establish accountability for the same and ensure proper treatment of the injured Chakma student. Further, adequate security measures should be taken for the non-Mizo students across all the JNVs of Mizoram,” senior vice president of the uniob, Tejang Chakma said.
Chakmas are a minority community in Mizoram and are suspected by the majority Mizos to be illegal migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. Chakma organisations alleged that they are often physically and mentally harassed by the majority Mizos.
The allegation, however, could not be confirmed with Mizoram government or organisations representing the Mizos.