Commentary
After the army–settler attack in Guimara,
Khagrachhari, the military has increased operations and patrols in areas
influenced by the UPDF. Although they say the goal is to stop terrorism, the
real purpose seems to be to protect the soldiers and settlers involved in the
Guimara attack, and to weaken the UPDF, which is currently the main political
force active in the Hill Tracts.
Even though the operations are supposed to target the
UPDF, the people who are actually suffering are ordinary villagers. During
these operations, villagers are being beaten, their homes are searched
unfairly, their belongings are taken, and some are arrested and labeled as
“terrorists.” Soldiers have occupied religious buildings, schools, and land. In
Sajek, a woman was even sexually harassed.
Daily reports of these incidents are already being
published. Here, I want to mention one specific incident from 17 November in
Madhya Harikaba village of Longadu, Rangamati. Five villagers—Sagorbasha Chakma
(24), Suman Chakma (24), Kalachan Chakma (25), Bir Chakma (48), and Gyanendu
Chakma (26)—were tortured by soldiers just because they were suspected of being
UPDF supporters. All of them are poor day laborers. If the women of the village
had not protested, the soldiers would have beaten them even more and possibly
charged them as “UPDF terrorists.” Still, the torture was so severe that they
had to go to the hospital.
The villagers said that soldiers claimed they had
received information that UPDF members visited their homes and were given food.
The villagers denied this because no UPDF members had come. Soldiers then
played an audio recording that showed a member of the JSS (Santu group) had
given this false information to the army.
So it is clear that these five innocent villagers were
tortured because of false information given by the JSS (Santu group). Similar
incidents have happened in Sajek as well. Members of the Santu group are giving
false information to the army—sometimes out of suspicion, sometimes out of
hostility—and the army is acting on this without checking the truth, harming
innocent people.
What crime did these villagers commit? Aren’t they
citizens? If they are citizens, they deserve the constitutional rights given to
all citizens. Under the law, the army has no right to torture someone just
because they are suspected of supporting a group. Homes are being searched
without permission, even though the Constitution says citizens have the right
to safety and privacy in their homes.
Even if they were UPDF members or supporters, they
still committed no crime. The Constitution gives everyone the right to support
any organization or attend any meeting. And even if someone truly commits a
crime, only a court has the authority to decide their guilt or innocence. The
army’s job is to hand suspects over to the legal system, not to act as judge or
executioner.
At the same time, while the army is aggressively
combing UPDF areas, a 40-member armed group has been staying openly near the
Ghagra–Chattogram border since 31 October—just minutes away from an army
camp—carrying out extortion and other crimes. Yet the army and local
administration have taken no action and are pretending not to know anything.
On 16 November, more than two thousand people from
Kaukhali submitted a memorandum demanding action against this armed group. Even
after that, nothing has been done, and the group is still active.
This shows that the army’s “anti-terror operations”
are not really against terrorists. They are targeting the general population
and the UPDF in order to create fear and suppress protest movements.
As a result, anger among the hill people is rising.
They no longer want to tolerate unjust torture, arrests, and harassment.
Protests have already taken place in several areas. In some places, people are
even resisting the army and preventing them from taking villagers away
unjustly.
Standing up against injustice is always justified. It
is also a civic duty. We hope the Bangladesh Army will stop violating citizens’
fundamental rights and immediately end the oppression and looting being carried
out in the name of “anti-terror operations.”
(20 November 2025)
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