Longadu Correspondent, CHT News
Friday, 30 January 2026
An army operation in the Kattali area of Longadu Upazila and the
Bame Tripurachara area under Bandukbhanga Union in Rangamati Sadar Upazila has
reportedly created fear and widespread anxiety among local residents.
From 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday night (28 January 2026) until Thursday
afternoon, troops from the Maini Zone of Longadu and the Naniarchar Zone
carried out the operation.
The operation was led by Lieutenant Colonel Mashiur Rahman,
Commander of the Maini Zone in Longadu, and Captain Ashik from the Naniarchar
Zone.
According to local sources, at around 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday night
(28 January), more than 150 army personnel led by Maini Zone Commander Lt. Col.
Mashiur Rahman moved into the areas of Choto Kattali, Boro Kattali, Duluchari,
and the mango orchard area of Boro Moun. At the same time, a separate team of
30 soldiers led by Captain Ashik from the Naniarchar Zone entered the Bame
Tripurachara area. The troops remained in these areas conducting operations
until 1:00 p.m. on Thursday (29 January).
After the operation, troops from both zones reportedly regrouped and
returned together to the Maini Zone of Longadu via Duluchari in Boro Kattali
later in the afternoon.
In addition, local residents said that from yesterday evening (29
January) until 11:00 p.m., a group of soldiers stayed in the Middle Harikaba
area of Longadu using two engine-powered boats.
Due to these military operations, fear and concerns have spread
among the local population.
Meanwhile, after leaving the area, the army published a report on
its controlled social media pages and news portals, along with several
photographs, claiming that they had burned down a house identified as a “secret
hideout of the UPDF” and recovered various items.
In one of the images circulated by them, the recovered items clearly
include a signboard used at the meditation hut of a Buddhist monk known as
Pabitra Bhante.
Further inquiries reveal that Pabitra Bhante is a well-known
Buddhist monk in the area who builds small huts and travels through forests and
remote locations in Longadu to practice meditation.
Other items allegedly “recovered” by the soldiers include a
bamboo-made daba (hookah) commonly used by hill people, along with an umbrella,
water bottles, clothes, and other everyday items.
.png) |
| This is one of the photographs published by the army on their controlled social media and news portals after the operation. The image clearly shows the signboard (marked with a circle) used at the meditation hut built for the spiritual practice of Venerable Pabitra Bhante (a Buddhist monk). |
From this image, it can be understood that the items they claimed to
have recovered were most likely taken from the same house they said they burned
down. Therefore, it can be stated without doubt that the house was an abandoned
hut built for the meditation practice of Pabitra Bhante.
Local residents have commented that, toward the end of the interim
government’s tenure, army officers carried out this unethical act in hopes of
securing promotions.
------