22/06/2025
Illegal Arrest and Torture of 11 Indigenous Hill People by Bangladesh Army Condemned by GAIPCHT
New Delhi/Basel/Los Angeles, 21 June 2025– The Global Association for Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (GAIPCHT) has strongly condemned the illegal arrest and reported torture of 11 indigenous hill people by the Bangladesh Army in staged military operations conducted on 19 and 20 June 2025 in the Rangamati and Bandarban districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh.
According to GAIPCHT, two operations led by senior Bangladesh Army officers falsely implicated members of the indigenous Chakma and Tripura communities in militancy-related activities. On 19 June, Suga Chakma (42) and Bindumoy Chakma (41) were arrested near the Marishya–Dighinala road in Baghaichari Upazila under allegations of collecting funds for the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF). The operation was reportedly led by Lt. Col. Md. Masud Rana, Commander of Baghaichhari Zone.
A day later, on 20 June, a second raid was carried out in Punarbason Chakma Para and Emmanuel Tripura Para under Lama Upazila in Bandarban by Major Md. Manjur Morshed, Deputy Commander of Alikadam Zone. Nine more individuals were arrested — including elderly persons — accused of being members of the Parbattya Chhattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS). Those detained include:
Ananda Mohan Chakma (72), Shantiram Chakma (33), Chatui Chakma (35), Shanti Ranjan Chakma (35), Kalparanjan Chakma (45), Jyoti Bikash Chakma (28), Pakhiram Tripura (31), Chhotiya Tripura (60), and Jewel Tripura (26).
In both cases, the army claimed to have recovered home-made guns, knives, phones, and electric wires. However, GAIPCHT alleges these items were planted and that all detainees were subjected to torture prior to being handed over to the police.
"These arrests are not only unlawful but also clearly orchestrated for personal gain," said Mr Suhas Chakma, Convenor of GAIPCHT. “If any of those arrested were truly members of PCJSS, then legal accountability must extend to the Chairman of the CHTs Regional Council, Mr. Santu Larma. In reality, none of the detainees belong to any banned organization — UPDF itself is not proscribed.”
Mr Chakma further alleged that the real motive behind the arrests was to falsely showcase successful counter-insurgency operations so that the officers involved could secure promotions and placements in United Nations Peacekeeping Missions.
Mr Sanchay Chakma, GAIPCHT Country Representative in Switzerland, announced that the organization will be submitting formal complaints to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). “We are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained and urging the UN not to consider deployment of Lt. Col. Md. Masud Rana and Major Md. Manjur Morshed in any peacekeeping mission,” he said.
The GAIPCHT reiterated that the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts continue to be violated with impunity and called upon the international community to hold the Bangladesh Army accountable for repeated abuses.
Courtesy: Internet
